The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that inspections will be mandatory for all Boeing 787 Dreamliners, following a troubling incident involving a LATAM Airlines plane in March. During the incident, the plane suddenly went into a mid-air dive, resulting in injuries to over 50 passengers.

According to the FAA, the cause of the dive was determined to be the uncommanded movement of the captain's seat, which led to the disconnection of the auto-pilot. The agency further revealed that it has received a total of five similar reports regarding issues with the captain and first officer seats on 787 aircraft. Two of these incidents are currently under investigation, with the most recent report filed in June.

The airworthiness directive issued by the FAA will affect a total of 158 U.S.-registered airplanes, as well as 737 airplanes worldwide. It requires airlines to conduct inspections on the captain's and first officer's seats of 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 models within the next 30 days. The purpose of these inspections is to identify any missing or cracked rocker switch caps or cracked switch cover assemblies. If any issues are discovered, the airlines must take necessary corrective actions.

The FAA has stressed the importance of these inspections, as the uncommanded horizontal movement of an occupied seat could result in a rapid descent of the aircraft, posing a significant risk of serious injury to passengers and crew.

Neither Boeing nor LATAM Airlines have responded to requests for comment regarding the FAA's directive. However, in an unrelated development, Boeing announced on Monday that test flights of its 777-9 model have been temporarily halted. The decision was made after a component between the engine and the aircraft structure failed to perform during a routine maintenance check. The damaged component was discovered during a recent flight test.

Boeing had only recently begun certification flight testing of its long-awaited 777-9, with FAA regulators on board after receiving Type Inspection Authorization in July.

The FAA's directive for inspections of Boeing 787 Dreamliners aims to ensure the safety and reliability of these aircraft following the alarming mid-air incident. Airlines will be required to adhere to the inspections and take appropriate actions to resolve any issues, in order to prioritize passenger and crew safety.