bangkok, thailand
CNN
—
One person was killed and at least 71 others injured on a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore when it encountered severe turbulence.
The Boeing 777-300ER was diverted to Bangkok, Singapore Airlines said on its Facebook page, and there were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
The airline initially said in a post that 30 passengers were injured in the mid-air chaos and were being treated in hospital, while other travelers were receiving outpatient treatment at the airport.
The deceased was a 73-year-old British man, identified as Jeff Kitchen.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased suffered from heart disease,” Kittipong Kitchikachorn, general manager of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, said on Tuesday, adding that autopsy work was still underway.
Mr Kitchen’s death was confirmed in a Facebook post by Thornbury Musical Theater Group (TMTG), where he worked for more than 35 years, in which Mr Kitchen said: “Always with the highest integrity and integrity.” He was said to have been a “gentleman” and “always did the obvious thing.” Right for the group. ”
The UK Foreign Office told CNN it is supporting the family of a British passenger who died on a Singapore Airlines flight.
The plane landed in the Thai capital at 3:45 p.m. local time (4:45 a.m. ET) on Tuesday.
Kichkahorn, who inspected the plane, told CNN that he received a call about the emergency landing 10 minutes before landing. He also said several passengers suffered broken arms, but most of their injuries were cuts and bruises.
Some of the injured passengers were taken to the nearby Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, Khichikakorn said, adding that about 200 travelers were waiting for connecting flights to their destinations. He said the Singapore Airlines plane, carrying 131 of the 211 passengers, then left Bangkok for Singapore.
At least 71 people were injured, including nationals from Malaysia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Spain, the United States and Ireland, the hospital said in an update. It was also announced that six people were seriously injured. Prime Minister Kitikakorn had earlier announced that seven people were seriously injured.
Reuters
On May 21, the inside of Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 was photographed after making an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
Aviation tracking website FlightRadar24 said based on its data that the turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 occurred over Myanmar at around 7:49 a.m. UTC (3:49 a.m. ET).
This is consistent with the airline’s statement that the plane “encountered sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin.” [a river in Myanmar] About 10 hours after departure, at an altitude of 37,000 feet. ”
FlightRadar24 said in a blog post that according to its data, at the time “the flight encountered a rapid change in vertical velocity consistent with a sudden turbulence event.”
Data shows the flight changed course after about 14 minutes. “The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Bangkok,” the airline said in a statement.
Data from FlightRadar24 shows the plane was cruising at 37,000 feet when it suddenly nosedived, then soared several hundred feet before plummeting again, climbing, and finally returning to its cruising altitude. . According to data, the entire chaos took about 90 seconds and left dozens of people injured, including the dead.
According to a CNN Weather analysis, the plane likely encountered a rapidly developing thunderstorm over southern Myanmar during the time period when severe turbulence was reported on Tuesday.
Analysis of satellite data showed an area of thunderstorm development over the Irrawaddy Delta between 7:00 a.m. GMT and 8:30 a.m. local time (early afternoon local time). This corresponds to the same times and locations reported by airlines and independent data analysis of flight trajectories from FlightRadar24.
Tropical thunderstorms like this are a common phenomenon at this time of year when the southwest monsoon season begins in South Asia and humidity increases in the region. Thunderstorms can develop quickly, especially near coastlines, in the early afternoon when the land warms.
A budding thunderstorm like Tuesday’s may not show up on radar in its early stages, even though rapid upward movement within it can still cause turbulence. The storm cell could have grown from an altitude of 20,000 to 30,000 feet to well over 50,000 feet within an hour.
View this interactive content on CNN.com
Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam issued a statement on his social media accounts, expressing his “condolences to the families and loved ones of the deceased.”
“While we do not have details of those affected, government ministries and SIA are doing everything in their power to assist all affected people and the flight was diverted to its destination in Bangkok. I am aware that we are cooperating with the authorities,” Shanmugaratnam said.
Singapore’s Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said in a statement posted on his social media that he was “deeply disappointed to learn of the incident”.
“Singapore Ministry of Transport, Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Changi Airport officials, and SIA” [Singapore Airlines] Staff are providing support to affected passengers and their families,” he said.
Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said in a statement that it is investigating the circumstances surrounding Flight SQ321 and that its Transport Safety Investigation Bureau is in contact with Thailand’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau.
Turbulence occurs when an airplane passes through colliding sections of air that have vastly different speeds.
Mild and moderate turbulence can cause passengers to strain their seatbelts and can cause unsecured items to move around the cabin.
But in severe cases, turbulence can throw passengers into the cabin, causing serious injury or even death.
Reuters
The interior of Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 was photographed after it made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand on May 21.
In March 2023, a violent move on a private jet killed a former White House staffer, but a subsequent investigation found that weather did not play a role in the incident. The incident occurred days after another airliner encountered severe turbulence, sending seven people to the hospital.
In July 2023, seven people were injured on a Hawaiian Airlines flight to Sydney, Australia due to severe turbulence, and in December 2022, 36 people were injured and 20 were transported on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Arizona to Honolulu. . Emergency room.
A September 2022 study predicts that clear-air turbulence will increase significantly around the world from 2050 to 2080, particularly on the busiest flight routes, with the strongest types of turbulence increasing the most.
Singapore Airlines is considered one of the safest airlines in the world.
The only fatal accident to date was in October 2000, when Flight SQ006, a Boeing 747-400, crashed after taking off from a closed runway in heavy rain in Taiwan, killing 83 people on board.
Singapore Airlines announced late Tuesday in an update on its Facebook page that a specialized team had arrived in Bangkok “to assist our colleagues and local authorities on the ground.”
“We offer our deepest condolences to the family of the person who lost their life and deeply regret the traumatic experience suffered by passengers and crew on this flight,” the airline said in a statement.
Boeing said it has been in contact with the Singapore airline and “stands ready to assist.” The manufacturer has deferred further questions to airlines and local authorities.
This article and heading have been updated with additional developments.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly described a March 2023 incident involving a private jet. The National Transportation Safety Board later ruled that weather did not play a role in the plane’s violent movements.
