New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission, TAIC today said that it was seizing the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder of a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 after an incident that left more than 50 people injured. The airline and passengers aboard the Sydney-Auckland flight yesterday said the plane with 263 passengers and nine crew members on board dropped abruptly mid-air.

The New Zealand accident investigator said Chilean authorities had confirmed they had opened a probe into the flight, and it was assisting with their inquiries.
A spokesperson for TAIC said because the incident occurred in international airspace it fell to Chilean accident investigation authority Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil (DGAC) to open an inquiry.

LATAM is based in Chile and the flight was due to continue to Santiago after stopping in Auckland.

The airline today said that it would assist the relevant authorities in any investigation into the strong shake during the flight.