Severe Turbulence Leads to One Death and At Least 71 Injured on Singapore Airlines Flight
Recent studies suggest that the 55% increase in severe turbulence incidents from 1979-2020 may be related to climate change.
(Bangkok, Thailand) Severe turbulence left one person dead and at least 71 others injured on a Singapore Airlines flight today (Tuesday, May 21), per NBC News.
Photo of a Singapore Airlines aircraft sitting on the tarmac after an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport today (May 21), courtesy of Pongsakornr Rodphai/Reuters via The Washington Post.
According to a Facebook post by the Singapore Airlines, flight #AQ321, its Boeing 777-300ER was scheduled to fly from London (Heathrow) to Singapore, when it encountered severe turbulence and diverted to Bangkok.
211 passengers and 18 crew members were onboard the flight; Singapore Airlines said in an initial post that 30 passengers had been hurt in the mid-air disruption and were being treated in hospitals, while other travelers were receiving outpatient care at the airport.
In the same post, the airline shared its condolences and said: “Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft. We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance, and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed. We will provide regular updates on our Facebook and X accounts.”
The one person who died was a 73-year-old British man identified as Geoff Kitchen, according to CNN.
Per CNN, the General Manager of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport Kittipong Kittikachorn said that “preliminary investigations indicate that the deceased suffered from a heart condition,” adding that the autopsy process was still ongoing.
Flight data showed the Boeing aircraft dropping approximately 6,000 feet in four minutes, per Forbes.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data from 2009 – 2022 reported 163 total serious injuries on commercial flights with 34 of those injuries attributed to passengers and the remaining 129 to crew. The NTSB reported that from 2009 to 2018, flight attendants suffered the most turbulence-related injuries because they often don’t wear seatbelts when assisting passengers during periods of turbulence, per Forbes.
A study by the American Geophysical Union published last year and highlighted by Forbes suggests the 55% increase in severe turbulence incidents between 1979 and 2020 could be related to climate change, with researchers predicting more significant increases in turbulence from 2050 to 2080.
