On Tuesday, a violent turbulence threw passengers and staff about the cabin of their Singapore Airlines aircraft from London to Singapore, resulting in one passenger’s death and 71 injuries. The jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. According to the airline, the Boeing 777-300ER encountered turbulence when passing over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin around ten hours into the journey and halfway through supper service. Business traveler Andrew Davies, who was aboard aircraft SQ321, told that the flight had been “perfectly normal” until the seatbelt indicator illuminated, at which point “all hell broke loose.”
The depth of the damage was demonstrated by footage and pictures taken from within the airplane, which included broken-open overhead compartments and emergency oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling. A picture of a particular galley displayed a gap in the ceiling, revealing a portion of the aircraft’s interior hanging down. There are trays, containers, plastic bottles, and hot beverage pots scattered all over the floor.
Did anybody died or is anyone injured
The event claimed the life of a 73-year-old British man who had a suspected cardiac ailment, according to Kittipong Kittikachorn, General Manager of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. The autopsy is still being conducted, Kittipong said on Tuesday. The individual was eventually identified as Geoff Kitchen, who worked with the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group (TMTG) for more than 35 years. The group characterized Kitchen as “always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity.”
At least 71 individuals were hurt, six of them seriously, according to the Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, which treated the injured travelers. Citizens of Ireland, the US, the UK, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Spain are among those injured.Upon inspecting the airplane, Kittikachorn reported that a few injured passengers had fractured arms. Emergency personnel can be seen carrying a passenger off Singapore Airlines SQ321 on a stretcher in a video that was taken after the plane was diverted to Bangkok. According to Kittikachorn, about 200 passengers were waiting to board subsequent aircraft to their destinations after the landing in Bangkok. Later, he added, a Singapore Airlines flight left Bangkok for Singapore, carrying 131 of the 211 passengers.
Statements from passenger on board
Andrew David said,The plane just felt like it dropped. It probably only lasted a few seconds but I remember vividly seeing shoes and iPads and iPhones and cushions and blankets and cutlery and plates and cups flying through the air and crashing to the ceiling. The gentleman next to me had a cup of coffee, which went straight all over me and up to the ceiling,”Davies, who was seated toward the front of the plane, said he helped tend to Kitchen, who was seated behind him.“Lots of people needed some help but we tended to this gentleman and I helped carry him, get him out of the seat, and we lay him on the floor so that some medical profession(als) could administer CPR,” Davies said, adding the passenger was administered CPR for about 20 minutes.”
“Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling,” Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on board the flight told Reuters. “Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it,” he said.
Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said that the airline is “providing all possible assistance and support” to the passengers and their families. “On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased passenger. We also deeply apologize for the trauma experienced by all passengers and crew members on this flight,” he said. Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said in a statement that it was investigating the situation involving flight SQ321 and the US National Transportation Safety Board is sending personnel to Singapore to help support the investigation.
What really happened in the flight?
Several turbulence was hit in Singapore Airlines flight SQ 321 from London to Singapore. The plane’s vertical speed, the rate by which the plane ascends or descends, quickly surged to 1,664 feet per minute before plummeting to -1,536 feet per minute in a matter of three seconds. It was not possible for Reuters to verify the order of events or if the medical emergency occurred prior to the turbulence.
Large gashes in the overhead cabin panels, gas masks and panels hanging from the ceiling, and scattered hand baggage were all seen in photos taken from within the aircraft. A traveler said that some heads had collided against the above lights, puncturing the panels. “Our initial thinking is the turbulence event is prior to the standard descent from 37,000 to 31,000 feet,” a FlightRadar 24 spokeswoman stated in reference to data indicating a dip in height. It seems like they are merely changing the flying level in anticipation of landing.” At 3:35 p.m. local time (0835 GMT), the plane made an emergency landing request, according to Suvarnabhumi airport. It arrived at 3:51 p.m., and the unharmed passengers excited to board another aircraft.
Singapore Airlines has experienced a few significant accidents and incidents in its history, despite having an overall strong safety record.
- SilkAir Flight 185: On December 19, 1997, a SilkAir Boeing 737-300 crashed into the Musi River near Palembang, Indonesia, while en route from Jakarta to Singapore. All 104 passengers and crew on board were killed. The cause of the crash remains controversial, with theories ranging from pilot suicide to mechanical failure.
- Singapore Airlines Flight 006: On October 31, 2000, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-400 attempted to take off from a closed runway at Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek International Airport during a typhoon. The aircraft collided with construction equipment, resulting in the deaths of 83 out of the 179 people on board. This accident remains the deadliest in the airline’s history.
- Hijacking of Flight SQ117: On March 26, 1991, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ117, an Airbus A310, was hijacked by four men shortly after departing from Kuala Lumpur. The plane landed safely at Singapore’s Changi Airport, where an elite Singaporean commando unit successfully stormed the aircraft, killing all hijackers without any casualties among the 114 passengers and 11 crew members.
These incidents highlight some of the major challenges faced by Singapore Airlines over the years. However, the airline has consistently worked on improving its safety standards and maintaining its reputation as one of the world’s leading carriers. Though this incident may have impacted some of the families but the Singapore airlines is still working in it’s safety major’s.