The number of people injured due to turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight exceeded 70
More than 70 people were injured during severe turbulence on an airline flight Singapore Airlines from London to Singapore. Seven passengers were seriously injured, one man did not survive.
The plane hit turbulence while the flight attendants were serving food.
The Boeing 777-300ER was en route from the British capital to Singapore on Tuesday, May 21. In total there were 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board.
There were 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board the Singapore Airlines plane that encountered turbulence.
Photo: Reuters
According to the FlightRadar24 service, when the aircraft was over Myanmar at an altitude of 37 thousand feet (about 11.2 thousand meters), it fell into an air pocket. This happened while the flight attendants were serving breakfast. As a result, dozens of passengers were injured, and the pilots were forced to abruptly change course and land the plane in Bangkok.
Some passengers had their arms broken and part of the plane’s ceiling collapsed
After landing, all the injured were taken to Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok. General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport Kittipong Kittikachorn toldthat seven travelers were seriously injured, some with broken arms. Among them are citizens of Malaysia, Great Britain, New Zealand, Spain, the USA and Ireland.
According to Kittikachorn, it took airport staff an hour and a half to evacuate all the passengers. The turbulence also caused significant damage to the aircraft’s cabin, with parts of the ceiling and luggage compartments collapsing.
One of the passengers on the Singapore Airlines flight, a 73-year-old British man named Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, didn’t survive. According to police, the man suffered a heart attack. The British wife, with whom he was traveling, is now in hospital.
This is the first time in Thailand that turbulence has resulted in casualties.
Singapore Airlines, Boeing and the British Embassy in Thailand promised to help the victims
The British Embassy in Thailand has responded to the tragedy and published a post on social media X that it was sending consulate staff to Bangkok to support British citizens. Department officials assured that they are in contact with local authorities.
Representatives of Singapore Airlines also stressed that they will provide “all possible assistance” to passengers and crew. To do this, the carrier will send a team of specialists to Bangkok.
In addition, Boeing, on whose plane the incident occurred, said that it was “in touch” with the carrier.
We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and are ready to support them. We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved family and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew
The cause of the incident may have been “clear air turbulence”
American aviation expert Damian Devlin believes, that the Singapore Airlines plane could have encountered “clear air turbulence” (CAT). Unlike other types of atmospheric turbulence, it occurs in a completely cloudless space.
“This event may have been caused by the sudden and unpredictable nature of ‘clear air turbulence’, which has no visible indicators to radar or satellites. Pilots learn about it when they fly through such a zone,” the expert explained. “Reports that the plane fell several thousand feet are probably incorrect.” Although he may have continued to experience turbulence throughout, this was likely a standard descent to a new flight level.”
Another aviation expert, John Strickland, toldthat turbulence is normal and rarely leads to injury or more tragic consequences.
“Turbulence certainly poses some dangers, but that’s why airlines take a lot of action to prevent serious consequences,” Strickland explained.
Another specialist, a former employee of Hong Kong Airlines and senior lecturer at the New University of Buckinghamshire, Marco Chan, added that pilots study weather conditions before the flight and predict possible turbulence zones.
However, he said, none of the instruments can show the exact location where a plane will encounter a bump, so pilots rely on their own experience and warnings from air traffic controllers.
Singapore Airlines is considered one of the safest airlines in the world. Its only tragedy occurred in October 2000, when a Boeing 747-400 took off from a closed runway in Taiwan during heavy rain and crashed. The 83 people on board did not survive.
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