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An innocent flight crew mistake is likely what sent a Boeing 787 Dreamliner into a nosedive that injured dozens of passengers on a LATAM flight this week ... according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal says the preliminary evidence points to an incident in the cockpit -- while serving a meal, a flight attendant accidentally bumped a switch on the pilot's motorized seat ... pushing it forward and sending the plane into the nosedive.

The switch has a cover that's supposed to prevent this kinda thing from happening while the pilot's seated, according to the WSJ report, but clearly something malfunctioned ... or it's a horrifying case of operator error.

As we reported, the Chile-based airliner was flying from Australia to New Zealand on Monday when it started plummeting, pinning several passengers to the cabin ceiling. The pilot was able to regain control and they landed in Auckland, where 50 people were treated for various non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities took the black boxes off the plane on Tuesday to begin their investigation.

Here's what's really interesting -- according to passengers, the pilot said the cockpit instrument panel had suddenly gone black for a few moments as he tried to explain what went wrong.

Jason Kelce's beloved dog, Winnie, has sadly passed away ... and the Kelce family is heartbroken over the loss, with his wife writing in an emotional social media post that she's "lost part of my soul."

It's unclear how the pooch passed ... but Kylie Kelce said on her Instagram page Thursday night the pup "is at peace" now.

"When I was in high school I had a folder on my desktop labeled 'Gods gift to earth,'" Kylie said in an IG post. "It was images of Irish Wolfhounds that I had collected from Google. I had fallen in love with the breed when I was a young and never let my fascination with them fade. It all lead me to Winnie and holy s*** did she live up to the hype."

"I love you, Winn," she continued. "You will always be my first born child."

Travis Kelce sent out his condolences in the comment section, writing, "You [gave] Winn an amazing life Ky!!" The Chiefs star's ex, Kayla Nicole, sent her support with a comment too.

Winnie played a huge role in the Kelce family ... she was the "flower girl" at Jason and Kylie's 2018 wedding. She was also mentioned on Jason and Travis' "New Heights" podcast often ... in fact, the brothers just brought her up on a recent episode when comparing her to animals Travis had seen on his Australian zoo date with Taylor Swift.

Winnie and the Kelces' other dog even had their own Instagram page.

"She was everything I had hoped for in a wolfie," Kylie said in mourning the dog's passing, "and more."

Porn star Sophia Leone died earlier this month -- but it doesn't sound like cops are sure if foul play is afoot ... even though they're currently describing her death as a "unique situation."

Albuquerque PD tells TMZ ... Leone's body was found March 1 at her home ... and while an official cause of death hasn't been determined, we're told police are investigating her death as suspicious ... although they go out of their way to note there were no signs of trauma.

After word of Sophia's death made the rounds, her modeling agency claimed the circumstances surrounding her death involved a robbery and homicide ... but APD tells us that's not the case.

A rep for the Department tells us they never indicated robbery or homicide was on their radar ... reiterating they were looking at it as a "suspicious death." They also emphasized they wouldn't be able to determine the cause of death until toxicology results were in. We asked if it appeared to be drug-related -- cops wouldn't say one way or another.

An APD rep also said this ... "We do not know at this time if she is a victim of a crime so this is a unique situation." Police say Sophia Leone was simply her stage name and noted her family was wary about drawing more attention.

While her family might not want to discuss the details of Sophia's death, they have since launched a GoFundMe to cover the costs of her funeral and memorial -- a financial burden the family wasn't prepared to meet. The family has set a goal of $12,000.

In the GFM post, her Stepdad Mike wrote, "As her Stepfather, I want to personally thank you for your kindness and generosity during this difficult time. Sophia will be deeply missed but her memory will live on in the hearts of all who loved her. May she rest in eternal peace."

Sophia made a name for herself in the adult biz, working with several different studios throughout her career ... including Brazzers, Evil Angel and Reality Kings. She was 26.

Sydney Sweeney, Niecy Nash and Chloe Bailey were real head-turners at the GLAAD Media Awards Thursday night, looking absolutely stunning in their scintillating outfits.

Sydney, Niecy and Chloe hit the red carpet with a long line of other celebs at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for the 35th annual event celebrating journalism that highlights the LGBTQ community.

The three actresses stole the show as they posed for paparazzi photos, combining a mixture of class with a touch of risqué.

As for the event, it was jam packed with bold-faced names. Among them ... Wayne Brady, Shangela, Frankie Grande, Jessica Betts, Allison Williams, Lena Dunham, Billy Harris, Hannah Waddingham, Cristo Fernández, Juno Temple, Jodi Balfour, Jason Sudeikis, Alexandra Shipp, JoJo Siwa, Dylan Mulvaney, Sharon Stone, Katie Maloney and Christine Chiu.

They all looked amazing in their glamorous get-ups. After the paps were finished snapping their pics, the stars went inside the venue to enjoy the awards show hosted by Wayne Brady.

Mauricio Umansky's not just trying to sell homes ... he's also creating them from the ground up for folks who need them most -- and he's putting in the hard work with his own kids.

We caught up with The Agency founder and CEO Thursday at a construction site in South Los Angeles -- where the reality star and his daughters were helping build brand new houses alongside Habitat for Humanity.

Umansky says they're in the middle of one of their many build days -- a partnership with Habitat and Giveback Homes that sees members of The Agency dedicate their own time and money to offer affordable housing for folks in need. Now, there are eligibility qualifications.

In order to live in one of these houses, there's criteria -- like demonstrating a financial need; falling within the average median income between 50%-120%; having good credit; being willing to contribute sweat equity; being able to drop a small down payment, among others.

Anyway, MU made Thursday's work sesh a family affair ... with his daughters helping out at the building site with drills and staple guns in hand. Mauricio couldn't help but give them a hard time -- saying dad's not comin' to the rescue next time they need a lightbulb changed!

In fact, Umansky's daughter Alexia -- whom he shares with Kyle Richards -- even gave us a tour of the soon-to-be-finished house ... including the heartfelt messages she and her dad wrote on one of the kitchen walls

Ultimately, Mauricio noted how great it is to give back to the community ... almost certainly thinking of his own humble beginnings before The Agency took off. And just so you know, Mauricio and co. have built these types of homes for a wide variety of people ... everything from firefighters and teachers to vets and families with disabilities, etc. It's a good cause.

BTW ... Mauricio didn't mention Kyle during our talk Thursday -- instead choosing to focus on the great work The Agency's doing.

Meghan King isn't losing sleep after taking her daughter to an Olivia Rodrigo concert where condoms and Plan B were being handed out ... instead, she's applauding the young pop star.

The "Real Housewives of Orange County" alum says she took her 7-year-old daughter Aspen to the St. Louis stop of the "GUTS" world tour, and saw firsthand how Olivia's doling out contraception to her fans.

As Meghan puts it ... the free condoms and Plan B weren't even very noticeable during the event. In fact, she says she only noticed the contraception table because "vote" stickers were being handed out there, too.

Since Aspen is still more than 10 years from being able to vote, Meghan says they walked away without taking a closer look.

However, she realized after the concert more than just stickers were being offered up, but it could've easily flown under the radar for most folks -- Meghan says the Plan B was being handed out under the codename "Julie."

She admits the situation was a little "jarring" for her, mostly because her daughter is so young ... but she also doesn't think parents should be angry over the free contraception.

Meghan even goes as far as calling Olivia's critics ignorant and hypocritical.

She defends that if Justin Bieber was doing something similar with condoms, the singer wouldn't likely face the same backlash -- hinting misogyny might be fueling the pushback against Olivia.

Meghan understands OR's mission ... calling out how kids are growing up faster than ever and emphasizing the need for sex education.

She does have one recommendation for the singer -- handing out items promoting reproductive health might be more useful for her younger fans.

Callum Walsh may look and sound like Conor McGregor (after all, they're both Irish!), but the undefeated boxer tells TMZ Sports he's NOT trying to be a carbon copy of the UFC star!

Walsh is an up-and-coming super welterweight boxing star with a main event at Madison Square Garden on March 15 against Dauren Yeleussinov, his second fight at the iconic arena in the last four months.

Making the event even more special, it's St. Patrick's Day weekend, and Callum is pumped!

"It's unbelievable," the Irish boxer told us, adding, "I'm very grateful to be able to do this at such a young age."

Because of his Irish nationality and fighting talent, many, including Dana White (who works with CW), see him being the next McGregor ... but it's a comparison he doesn't love.

"I'm trying to make my own path and do my own thing," the 23-year-old said.

"I'm never trying to copy anybody or be like anyone. Everyone always says 'Oh you wanna be like the Conor McGregor of boxing'. I'm just trying to be Callum Walsh."

That's no disrespect to McGregor ... Walsh and Conor have met before, and Callum says McGregor was somewhat of a role model for him when he was younger.

But, he wants to be himself, not another star fighter.

"I'm just trying to do my own thing, try make my own path. Leave my own legacy," Callum said.

With a 9-0 record, Walsh is on the way ... and hopes to keep his winning streak alive by knocking out Yeleussinov (11-3, 10 KO) at MSG Friday night.

"I'm always looking for the knockout in every fight," Walsh said.

It's Friday, and there's no better way to head off into the weekend than by looking back at what we covered on TMZ ... and there was a lot, especially when it came to our shows.

Starting off on 'TMZ Live,' Charles and Harvey discussed the looming divorce between Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umansky -- which we know is all but certain at this point, based on conversations we've had with lots of people in that world. At this point, it's essentially over.

Kyle touched on this during Wednesday night 'RHOBH' ... and got emotional in doing so.

Next up, we got 'TMZ on TV,' where the gang talked about Justin Timberlake reuniting with Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick, making it an *NSYNC affair.

They performed together ahead of JT's new album dropping ... and boy, did they sound good.

Finally on 'TMZ Sports,' Babcock and Mojo talked the incredible recovery of Mark Coleman.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Before this boy in his pastel collared shirt and wide-brimmed bucket hat turned into an actor and stand-up comedian, he was just a spiffy 3-year-old boy looking cool on a park bench, living most of his childhood in Hong Kong before graduating from Beverly Hills High School.

Perhaps he's best known for starring in HBO's comedy series "Silicon Valley," but he also garnered wide attention with his role as Dr. Chan Kaifang on Netflix's "Space Force." And, don't underestimate his list of famous friends ... like his "Crazy Rich Asians" costar Michelle Yeoh.

Luke Bryan's Nashville bar is alleged to have overserved a Missouri college student who went missing last week -- and now a state agency has launched an investigation into it.

The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission -- the licensing authority for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of booze beverages in the state -- tells TMZ ... while there's no specific rule that dictates a business escorting out intoxicated patrons, let alone providing assistance to said patrons, there are laws about providing too much alcohol to someone.

We're told Tennessee law prohibits serving alcoholic beverages to someone who is visibly intoxicated -- and any violation of this is considered a class A misdemeanor.

As it pertains to claims that Riley Strain, who's still missing, was overserved ... we're told the TABC has opened an investigation to see if any violations have occurred in this matter.

Remember, it was cops who suggested Riley might've been overserved Friday when he and some friends hit the town and ended up at Luke's 32 Bridge -- where the 22-year-old was reportedly kicked out ... and where he got separated from his party and went off on his own.

As the story goes ... Riley apparently told his friends he'd meet them back at their hotel -- but he was nowhere to be found when the rest of the guys showed up. As of Thursday, there's still no sign of him ... despite an extensive search effort throughout the city.

Crews have scoured the streets, and the search for Riley has even extended to the riverbank nearby -- as some suspect he may have gotten lost and perhaps fallen into the water.

Remember, surveillance footage of Riley stumbling along the streets of Nashville has surfaced ... and he looks out of sorts, and possibly under the influence too. It's eerie video, no doubt.

Luke himself spoke out on the story, asking for prayers. He also noted his bar was cooperating with law enforcement and providing any surveillance video of their own that could help find him. We reached out to them on this latest update, but they had no comment.

Nashville PD also gave an update Thursday on where they were in the case ... noting they were scouring through tons of tips, and said they might bring in state and/or federal help if they feel they need it. For now, it sounds like it's just them handling things internally.

Riley's family has said they're living through a nightmare as they continue to look for him. Riley had apparently FaceTimed his mom earlier in the evening, and she said nothing seemed amiss then, even though they knew he was bar hopping.

The basketball community is rallying around Toronto Raptors player RJ Barrett ... after it was revealed his brother, Nathan, recently passed away.

Nathan's former youth basketball coach, Chris Stewart, confirmed the tragic news on Thursday ... saying the athlete was special to the program.

"Nathan was only with us for a short time in grade 7 before he moved to Florida but whenever he was back in Mississauga the boys connected," Stewart said.

"No parent should ever have to bury a child, hug your kids today a little longer. You will be missed Nathan, RIP ❤️🏀🙏🕊️"

Details surrounding his death have not been revealed at this time.

Nathan -- a 6-foot-1 guard -- played at Montverde Academy, just like RJ. He had dreams of becoming a pilot.

"In my family, we’re very competitive," RJ told SLAM in 2018. "Everyone is always trying to beat each other. Everyone is an athlete, so that’s where I get all my competitive drive."

RJ spent one season at Duke University before going 3rd overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. He played for the Knicks until he was traded to the Raptors in December.

Barrett -- who did not play in Wednesday's game against the Detroit Pistons -- has been ruled out of Friday night's contest against the Orlando Magic ... and understandably, it is unclear when he will return to the court.

The Barrett family released a statement on Nathan's death ... saying he passed away surrounded by his loved ones.

"While our family is devastated by this great loss, we will continue to cherish the memories and time spent together. Nathan was a God-fearing young man of strong character. He was thoughtful, kind, loving, compassionate, creative, admirable and driven."

"Though his time with us was brief, he will live forever in our hearts."

The father of Michigan high school shooter Ethan Crumbley, has been found guilty on all 4 counts of involuntary manslaughter ... just weeks after his wife Jennifer saw the same verdict.

The jury reached the decision for James Crumbley Thursday after 1 day of deliberations. His sentencing is scheduled for April 9, the same date as his wife.

With this verdict, Crumbley was found to be negligent for disregarding warning signs exhibited by his son that could have potentially prevented the devastating event. Prosecutors said he even purchased a gun for his son just days before he used it to open fire at Oxford High School in the Detroit suburb of Oxford Township, MI, in November 2021, killing 4 students.

The verdict comes a few weeks after his wife Jennifer's conviction -- which marked an historic moment, as it's unprecedented for a parent to be criminally charged in connection with their child's involvement in a mass shooting.

Jennifer's testimony during her trial had shed light on the role she says her husband, James, played in the tragic events ... saying he had purchased the gun their son used in the shooting and was the one responsible for hiding it.

She also testified she was aware her son was struggling but had no inkling he was capable of carrying out a mass shooting ... saying if she had known, she'd done the whole thing differently.

17-year-old Ethan was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole back in December.

Carlos Alcaraz's tennis play is sweet like honey ... and clearly, some bees thought so too -- 'cause a huge swarm forced him off the court!

The second-best men's player in the world took the court Thursday to take on Alexander Zverev during the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, but ended up contending more with a cloud of the dastardly drones when the match was tied 1-1.

Check out the video ... Alcaraz tries to simply swat a few of the irksome creatures away from his face before realizing his bug problem's a whole lot bigger than he thought.

CA keeps his cool for a bit while the sideline official explains the situation to the audience ... but the bees buzzing around his head proves to be too much for the Spanish star.

Carlos starts swinging his racquet around wildly before running toward the tunnel away from the court. He also pulled up his shirt over his face to protect himself -- and let's just say, it was quite a sight ... like something out of "Sleepy Hollow."

In the end, it sounds like Carlos took some damage from all this -- his agent says he got stung on the forehead during the melee, although it's unclear to what extent he was hurt.

Ultimately, it seems like everyone ended up relatively OK ... 'cause play continued just after 5 PM PT with Carlos soldiering through his injury -- after a totally unprotected individual went around and vacuumed up the insect swarm on the camera, all by themselves. Bold!

6:35 PM PT -- A rep for A+E tells TMZ ... "We look forward to the unsealing of our papers as well, as they tell a very different story."

Wendy Williams' guardian sued unsuccessfully to block the release of the new documentary following her struggles ... and now the lawsuit's unsealed -- and it gives an inside look at Williams' day-to-day.

Here's the deal ... the former talk show host's temporary guardian Sabrina Morrissey sued back in February to stop the “Where is Wendy Williams?" doc from coming out -- an attempt that ultimately failed, as we now know.

Those legal docs were originally sealed ... but now, they are available for anyone to peruse -- and they provide a look into both Morrissey's argument and her description of Williams' recent condition.

In the paperwork, obtained by TMZ, Morrissey argued Williams was incapable of handling her own business affairs when she signed the documentary contract. Same goes for her executive producer role -- Morrissey says Williams wasn't able to handle such a job effectively ... including not being able to properly shape how she was portrayed.

SM said WW's ability to care for herself has deteriorated since beginning the guardianship too ... and she says now Wendy needs constant daily supervision to "ensure her safety, well-being, and comfort, and to preserve her dignity."

Morrissey claimed she was originally told the doc would present Williams' comeback story, ultimately showing Wendy in a positive light -- and Morrissey said she was under the impression she would get to see the finished product before it was released.

Sabrina added she was totally blindsided when the trailer came out ... because she said she never saw a final cut of the doc.

Of course ... days before the doc came out, Wendy's team revealed she was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia last year, and she entered a treatment center to deal with her health issues as well.

The creative team behind the documentary said they never would've made it had they known about the diagnosis ... though it seems hard to believe they had no indication of her health struggles given the kind of care Morrissey detailed in her suit.

Bottom line ... the story behind "Where is Wendy Williams?" just got a whole lot murkier.

Alec Baldwin wants to be let off the hook in the "Rust" manslaughter case, because he claims prosecutors stacked the deck against him with the Grand Jury that indicted him.

The actor and his attorney Alex Spiro filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, where he seeks to have his criminal case completely tossed ... arguing the grand jury process was completely rigged by the Santa Fe County D.A.'s office -- alleging they trotted out 7 witnesses who were incredibly biased.

Specifically, Alec says 3 of the witnesses were on the D.A.'s "payroll," 2 of them were from the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office, one was already suing him in a separate civil case -- and yet another publicly blamed Baldwin for Halyna Hutchins' death days afterward ... even though Alec says this person wasn't working on the production at the time.

Another eye-popping allegation in the docs involves the FBI testing of the pistol used in the scene. Alec claims the D.A. failed to present all the evidence from that testing ... which he alleges showed the revolver did, in fact, fire without the trigger being pulled when all 6 rounds were loaded, just as they were on the day of the tragedy.

Remember, up until now ... we'd heard the opposite -- that the FBI testing proved without a doubt the gun could only fire if the trigger was pulled. This is crucial, because Alec has always maintained he did not pull the trigger.

For all these reasons, Alec's asking a judge to drop the involuntary manslaughter charge. As we reported, he already pled not guilty in this second go-around ... this after the D.A. dismissed their charges the first time.

Meghan Markle's kicking off her new lifestyle brand, and it looks like she's got a few ideas about what she wants to do with it ... including potentially selling a variety of products.

The Duchess of Sussex's company applied to lock up the rights to something called American Riviera Orchard in early February -- which she officially announced Thursday online -- submitting trademark applications in a bunch of different categories.

Among the items she might end up selling under the new venture -- assuming the trademarks get approved, that is -- are cookbooks, tableware, coffee and tea services, jellies, jams, tablecloths, cookbooks, servingware, cutlery, spreads of all kinds ... and lots more.

It seems she's expecting things to move smoothly in that direction ... 'cause, like we said, she just launched both the ARO website and an Instagram page dedicated to the new venture.

So far, the IG page only shows the company's logo ... but a short clip on the page's story shows Markle baking while Nancy Wilson's "I Wish You Love" plays over it. The page already has 199k followers BTW -- safe to say, people are very excited for whatever Markle's got cookin'.

While it's unclear exactly what MM plans to do with the new site, tons of fans online are speculating it'll be an updated version of The Tig -- Markle's lifestyle blog from before she married Prince Harry.

The Tig also featured recipes, personal essays and advice from Markle, all of which could factor into American Riviera Orchard's offerings. We'll just have to wait and see, we suppose -- Meg hasn't announced when she's gonna pull back the curtain, but there's a waitlist open.

After the royal couple's somewhat turbulent 2023 -- including a Spotify deal that fell through and a rumored Dior partnership that never came to fruition -- this seems like Meg going back to basics, and to her lifestyle roots.

Time will tell if this Orchard bears fruit.