A Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore experienced severe turbulence on Tuesday, resulting in one passenger’s death and injuries to 30 others. The turbulence hit while breakfast was being served, causing the plane to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, according to officials and the airline.
The plane encountered an air pocket, which caused significant turbulence, leading the pilots to request an emergency landing, stated Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn.
Photos from inside the plane showed damage to overhead cabin panels, with gas masks and luggage scattered around. A passenger reported that some people’s heads struck and damaged the overhead lights and panels.
“I saw things lying everywhere and many air crew injured,” Kittipong said, noting that the most critically injured passengers and crew were evacuated.
A 73-year-old British man died, likely from a heart attack, and seven others sustained critical injuries, including head injuries. Despite the chaos, passengers remained calm during the evacuation. Eighteen people were hospitalized, with 12 receiving treatment, Singapore Airlines reported. The airline sent a team to assist the injured at the hospital.
“Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. We deeply apologize for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight,” the airline stated.
Flight tracking data showed the plane tilting and then returning to cruising altitude around 07:49 GMT. Passenger Dzafran Azmir described the sensation of the plane rising and then dramatically dropping, causing unbelted passengers to hit the ceiling.
Most passengers were wearing seatbelts, Kittipong noted. The Boeing 777-300ER, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, requested an emergency landing at 3:35pm local time and landed at 3:51pm. Uninjured passengers disembarked, and another plane will take them to their destination.
Turbulence-related accidents are the most common type of airline incidents, according to a 2021 National Transportation Safety Board study. From 2009 to 2018, turbulence accounted for over a third of reported airline accidents, usually resulting in serious injuries but no aircraft damage.
Singapore Airlines, known for its safety record, has not had major incidents in recent years. The last fatal accident occurred on October 31, 2000, when a flight from Singapore to Los Angeles via Taipei crashed, killing 83 of the 179 people on board. Boeing, in touch with Singapore Airlines, expressed condolences and support. Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau is sending investigators to Bangkok to examine the incident.
