Worldwide Authorities Scrutinize Singapore Airlines’ Terrific Fatal Turbulence Disaster

Published on May 22, 2024

By: Rana Pratap

Worldwide experts are investigating the severe turbulence that caused a Singapore Airlines flight to plunge, resulting in one death and numerous injuries.

Investigators have arrived in Bangkok to determine the causes behind severe turbulence that caused a Singapore Airlines flight to plunge unexpectedly, injuring many and resulting in the death of a British passenger.

Twenty individuals remain in intensive care after Flight SQ321, en route from London’s Heathrow to Singapore, encountered turbulence over the Andaman Sea on Tuesday. The Boeing 777, with 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board, descended 6,000 feet in approximately three minutes, according to the airline.

The flight was diverted to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where medical teams assessed passengers and transported over 80 to hospitals.

Nine people underwent surgery on Tuesday, with five more procedures scheduled for Wednesday. A total of 104 people received medical attention, including 19 treated at an airport clinic.

Singapore Airlines dispatched a special flight to Bangkok on Tuesday night to retrieve those fit for travel. The airline reported that 131 passengers and 12 crew members arrived in Singapore early Wednesday morning.

Seventy-nine passengers and six crew members stayed in Bangkok, most remaining hospitalized, said Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong.

Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, which treated many of the injured, reported 20 individuals in intensive care and 27 discharged. The ICU patients include six Britons, six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans, and individuals from Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

Officers from Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday evening, with the US National Transportation Safety Board sending an accredited representative and four technical advisors to assist.

One Australian passenger told Sky News that the seatbelt sign had been activated just before the turbulence hit, but she was unable to secure herself in time as she was asleep.

Thai officials identified the deceased as Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, who was traveling with his wife for a six-week holiday. Kitchen, a former insurance industry worker and amateur theater enthusiast, may have suffered a heart attack during the incident, though this is not confirmed.

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24, analyzed by The Associated Press, showed the aircraft cruising at 37,000 feet before abruptly descending to 31,000 feet over three minutes. The plane remained at 31,000 feet for less than ten minutes before diverting to Bangkok, landing shortly after.

Clear air turbulence, the suspected cause, is the most perilous form as it is invisible and undetectable by current technology. It can occur without warning, causing sudden and severe jostling of passengers and unsecured items.

According to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, turbulence was responsible for 37.6% of all major airline accidents between 2009 and 2018. The FAA reported 146 serious injuries from turbulence from 2009 to 2021.

The Association of Flight Attendants explained that turbulence results from shifting air currents and can happen in clear skies or near thunderstorms due to wind shear.

As investigations continue, initial reports suggest clear air turbulence affected Singapore Flight 321. Officials from British and Malaysian embassies visited the Bangkok hospital to check on the injured.

The flight’s passengers included 56 Australians, two Canadians, one German, three Indians, two Indonesians, one Icelander, four Irish, one Israeli, 16 Malaysians, two from Myanmar, 23 New Zealanders, five Filipinos, 41 Singaporeans, one South Korean, two Spaniards, 47 from the United Kingdom, and four Americans.