One Person Dead, 71 Injured After ‘Sudden Extreme Turbulence’ on Singapore Airlines Flight. ‘All Hell Broke Loose’
A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 at JFK
One passenger is dead and 71 others were injured to varying degrees after a Singapore Airlines flight encountered what the airline later termed “sudden extreme turbulence” on a flight from London.
A Boeing 777-300ER, operating as Singapore Flight 231, was en route to Singapore Changi Airport when it encountered the turbulence and diverted to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
The flight had left the gate at London Heathrow at 10:08 p.m. BST and was wheels up at 10:38 p.m. The turbulence took place ten hours into the normally 13-hour flight over the Irrawaddy Basin at an altitude of 37,000’. The flight landed in Bangkok at 3:45 p.m. local time and arrived at the gate at 4:15 p.m.
The flight was met by emergency responders and social media images show that the Triple Seven’s cabin was largely in tatters after the incident, with papers, cups, and water pitchers scattered about, and ceiling panels and piping hanging loose from the top of the fuselage.
Local officials in Bangkok said that 71 people, including passengers and crew members, were injured and removed to hospital. The hospital, Samitivej Srinakarin, said in a statement that, out of the 71 people from the flight who were at one of its facilities, six were seriously injured. It listed four of the injured as being from Britain, with three from Malaysia, two each from New Zealand and the United States, and one each from Ireland and Spain. The nationality of other victims was not known.
The airlines said in a statement that the flight “encountered sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000’ about ten hours after departure. The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Bangkok, and landed at 1545hrs local time on 21 May 2024.”
“We can confirm that there were multiple injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.”
The passenger who died was 73-year-old Geoff Kitchen, a Briton. He received CPR for about half an hour but the effort failed to revive him..
The airline’s CEO, Goh, extended condolences to Kitchen’s family on behalf of the carrier, saying that the airline was “deeply saddened.”
Many people had been having breakfast at the time the incident occurred. Flight tracking data shows that the Boeing 777 dropped suddenly before climbing several hundred feet. It then repeated the dip and ascent for approximately one minute.
One passenger told several news stations that “All hell broke loose” at that point. Reports on social media indicated multiple passengers had cuts and abrasions and several reported broken arms.
Goh issued an apology for the incident and said he was “very sorry for the traumatic experience” that the passengers had to endure.
The airline is cooperating with authorities on the investigation, he added.
Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said it had opened an investigation into the incident and that it was in touch with its Thai counterparts. The agency said it would send investigators to Bangkok. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is also sending personnel to help with the investigation.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
