Watchdogs investigate after Boeing-made plane's nosedive on flight to New Zealand

Airline watchdogs were on Tuesday investigating why a Boeing-made LATAM plane bound for New Zealand suddenly lost altitude mid-flight, dropping violently and injuring dozens of terrified travellers. Passengers said the Boeing 787 Dreamliner plunged earthward while en route from Sydney to Auckland on Monday evening, slinging unrestrained travellers out of their seats and smashing some into the roof of the cabin. Chile-based LATAM Airlines said Tuesday it was working with authorities to pinpoint the unspecified "technical event" that caused flight LA800 to experience "a strong movement". It is the latest in a string of safety incidents to plague US airplane manufacturer Boeing. "It was just a split second," said Auckland-based chef Lucas Ellwood, who was one of 263 passengers and nine cabin crew aboard. "The crashing of people into the roof caused the tiling to be dislodged," he told AFP on Tuesday. "The guy behind me was in the toilet when it happened, the poor guy. He told me he went through the roof," he added. On the ground, emergency crews were notified shortly before the flight landed and a phalanx of more than a dozen ambulances and other medical vehicles rushed to the scene. The Chilean General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics said New Zealand air safety investigators will lead the probe into the incident, with Chilean help. Air accident safety investigator Joe Hattley told AFP that technical problems were rare in modern aircraft. "That flight record will be key to understanding this event. It will tell investigators if it was an atmospheric event or a technical problem with the aircraft," said Hattley. "These kinds of events highlight the absolute need for passengers to keep their seatbelts fastened."<br/>