What happened when a Singapore Airlines flight was hit by extreme turbulence?

HOLR has the latest on a harrowing incident that unfolded aboard a Singapore Airlines flight, resulting in one death and multiple injuries. A British passenger, aged 73, tragically lost their life, while 23 others were injured, seven critically, after the aircraft encountered extreme turbulence.

After approximately 11 hours of flight time from takeoff in London, the aircraft encountered an air pocket and sharply dropped 6,000 feet in five minutes, causing mayhem and necessitating an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Terrified passengers recounted having little warning to fasten their seatbelts before the sudden drop occurred while the crew was serving breakfast. One person was left dead and 23 were injured. Officials reported that seven individuals suffered critical head injuries.

Suvarnabhumi Airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn revealed at a press conference that the deceased was a 73-year-old British man traveling with his wife. The official suggested that the man likely suffered a heart attack. His name has not been immediately released.

Singapore Airlines Turbulence

The Boeing 777, operated by Singapore Airlines, departed from the UK’s Heathrow Airport on Monday at 10:17 PM local time with 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board. However, flight SQ321 encountered severe turbulence while flying near Myanmar airspace, an area battered by extreme tropical thunderstorms. The plane dropped from an altitude of around 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within five minutes. Registered as 9V-SWM, the aircraft was diverted to Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, where it made an emergency landing at 3:45 PM local time. The flight had been scheduled to land at Singapore Changi Airport at 6:10 PM local time.

Singapore Airlines Turbulence Video

This footage seemingly shows the aftermath of the turbulence on board the London- Singapore flight posted by user @phoenixtvhk on TikTok.

@phoenixtvhk

Aftermath: Singapore Airlines #SQ321 from London to Singapore Diverted to Bangkok Due to Severe Turbulence. #SingaporeAirlines #Singapore #Bangkok #BKK #plane Boeing（Source : Reuters&X@gotravelyourway）

♬ 原聲 – 鳳凰衛視PhoenixTV（凤凰卫视官方账号）

Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam expressed his condolences in a statement shared on social media, saying 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.” (noted here) Although there is no indication that today’s incident was caused by the plane itself, it is the latest in a series of scares involving Boeing-manufactured aircraft in recent weeks.