Report blames turbulence for death, injuries on Singapore flight

Dozens of passengers were injured and one was killed on May 21 by severe turbulence on flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore, according to a government report released this week. Singapore Airlines is reviewing its in-flight safety measures in response to the accident.

What happened on May 21? Severe turbulence began about ten hours into the flight, when many passengers and crew were unbuckled during meal service, according to a report from Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau. An altitude drop and change in gravitational force were so drastic that passengers and their belongings flew out of their seats, suffering profound injuries. 

Medical personnel received the injured passengers at an emergency landing in Bangkok, taking them to Samitivej Hospital. The director of the hospital told the BBC that 22 patients had spine damage, and six had skull or brain injuries. As of Wednesday, many passengers were still at the hospital receiving treatment.

Passengers realized 73-year-old Geoff Kitchen was dead after trying to give him CPR for around twenty minutes. Investigators are still determining the exact cause of his death.

What’s the takeaway from the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau’s report? While the severe turbulence resulted from storm formation over Myanmar, it was sudden and could not be visually anticipated. Yet, Singapore Airlines told Channel News Asia last week that it hoped to take a more cautious approach to in-flight turbulence.