The British passenger who tragically died onboard a Singapore Airlines jet travelling from the UK has been named as Geoffrey Kitchen, a 73-year-old musical theatre director from Bristol. Kitchen, who led the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group, suffered a suspected heart attack during the flight. Approximately 30 other passengers were injured in the incident, and Kitchen’s wife is among those hospitalized, though her condition remains unknown.
The incident occurred around 11 hours after the flight took off from Heathrow. The aircraft hit an air pocket and plummeted 6,000 feet in just minutes, causing chaos and forcing the plane to make an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Terrified passengers recounted how they had little warning to fasten their seatbelts before the aircraft suddenly dropped while the crew was serving breakfast. One passenger described people being “launched into the ceiling” as the plane fell through the sky.
Of the 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board, Thai airport authorities reported that seven individuals sustained critical head injuries, with many others suffering lacerations as they were thrown upwards.
Passenger Accounts and Emotional Messages
Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on board the flight said: “Suddenly the aircraft started tilting up, and there was shaking. I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a dramatic drop. Everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched into the ceiling.”
Allison Barker shared her agonizing wait after receiving a chilling message from her son Josh, who was on the flight: “I don’t want to scare you, but I’m on a crazy flight. The plane is making an emergency landing… I love you all.” Barker described the experience as “terrifying,” not knowing whether her son had survived. Josh later confirmed he was safe but had suffered minor injuries to his teeth.
A British man travelling with his family described how there was no warning before the turbulence hit: “There were people walking around when the turbulence hit, and there was no sign to put the seat belts on. There was no turbulence prior to that. It went from no turbulence to this one turbulence.”
Andrew Davies from Lewisham, London, took to Twitter to describe the incident: “Lots of people injured, including the air stewards who were stoic and did everything they could. Bangkok emergency services were quick to respond. Very little warning. The seatbelt sign came on, I put on my seatbelt straight away, then the plane just dropped.”
Emergency Response and Aftermath
The Boeing 777 plane operated by Singapore Airlines left Heathrow on Monday evening at 22:17 local time. Severe turbulence struck while the flight was near Myanmar airspace, an area experiencing extreme tropical thunderstorms. The plane dropped from an altitude of around 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within just five minutes.
The aircraft was diverted to Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, where it made an emergency landing at 15:45 local time. Singapore Airlines confirmed the emergency landing and expressed their deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.
Official Statements and Investigations
Singapore Airlines issued a statement: “Singapore Airlines flight #SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en route. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok and landed at 15:45 local time. We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft.”
Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam expressed his condolences and said he was “greatly saddened by the loss of a life caused by the severe turbulence on board the SQ321 flight from London earlier today, and the injuries caused to several others.
The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of Singapore announced that it would deploy investigators to Bangkok to assist with the investigation.
Passenger Nationalities
The flight carried 211 passengers and 18 crew members, with the following nationalities represented:
- 56 from Australia
- 47 from the United Kingdom
- 41 from Singapore
- 23 from New Zealand
- 16 from Malaysia
- Five from the Philippines
- Four from Ireland
- Four from the US
- Three from India
- Two each from Indonesia, Myanmar, Spain, and Canada
- One each from Germany, Israel, Iceland, and South Korea
Expert Opinions and Safety Measures
Aviation experts emphasized the importance of keeping seatbelts fastened throughout a flight. Marco Chan, Senior Lecturer in Aviation Operations, noted that incidents of extreme turbulence typically occur when navigating thunderstorms. He stated, “Pilots are expected to navigate around thunderstorms, but it may not be possible to completely circumvent them.”
Boeing expressed its condolences following the incident and promised full cooperation with the investigation.
