Editorial Staff
21/05/24 14:51

Editorial Staff
21/05/24 14:51

One dead as London to Singapore flight hit by turbulence

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One person died on a Singapore Airlines flight after it encountered severe turbulence at 37,000 feet (News.com au)

by Mick the Ram

One person has died and many more have been injured on a Singapore Airlines flight from London that suddenly encountered severe turbulence.

The Singapore-bound Boeing 777-300ER, which is a 16-years-old aircraft, was well into its journey after taking off from Heathrow, when flight tracking data suggests the airliner dropped 6,000 feet (2,000m) in a matter of minutes, shortly after crossing the Bay of Bengal.

Flight SQ 321 was carrying a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew, when the incident occurred and needed to be diverted to Bangkok. Around 75% of those on board were from Australia, the UK, New Zealand and Singapore.

It is understood that the passenger who lost their life was a 73-year-old British man, believed to have suffered a heart attack. He had been travelling with his wife who has been admitted to hospital, but her condition is not known.

Early estimation is that at least 53 other passengers have been injured, as well as nine crew members. The extent of their injuries is unclear at this stage.

Emergency crews from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, which lies approximately 12 miles (20km) away from Suvarnabhumi Airport, were on site waiting for the plane to touch down, ready to meet the injured directly off the runway and transfer them as quickly as possible to receive the necessary treatment.

The Singapore Airlines aircraft is designed to perfectly withstand severe amounts of turbulence, but if the passengers were not wearing their seatbelts then many will have be thrown vertically and probably suffered head injuries.

Six thousand feet drop in three minutes

Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24, and analysed by Associated Press, showed the Singapore Airlines flight cruising after a little over 11 hours of flight time, at an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,278 meters), before it suddenly dropped sharply at just after 8am GMT.

The data shows that it plunged to 31,000 feet (9,449 meters) in just three minutes, as it crossed the Andaman Sea, approaching Myanmar. The aircraft could be seen to remain at that altitude for just under 10 minutes, before rapidly descending and landing in Bangkok.

The airline reported that it was working with Thai authorities to provide medical assistance to passengers, and was sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional help needed.  

 

Clear air turbulence possibly to blame

Turbulence is most commonly caused by aircraft flying through cloud, but there is also something known as “clear air” turbulence which is not visible on a jet’s weather radar, nor is it possible to predict.

It is also possible that as the plane was flying over a tropical area, a sudden change in air temperature, caused by a lower layer of air cooling down as the day ended and the night began, could also have caused the turbulence, but at this stage it is all speculation.

Weather conditions looked very stormy in southern parts of Myanmar with frequent lightning strikes recorded in the area where the aircraft appeared to have lost altitude.

Indeed, the forecast had suggested there would be isolated to occasional embedded cumulonimbus cloud – more commonly known as thunderstorm clouds – present up to an altitude of 50,000 feet (15,240 metres), with the winds inside these types of clouds the most turbulent, containing severe up and down drafts.

Reason to keep seat-belts fastened throughout a flight

Injuries from severe turbulence are relatively rare in the context of the millions of flights operated; but aviation expert John Strickland warned: “It is not for nothing that airlines recommend keeping seat belts loosely fastened throughout a flight be it long or short” as the crew are well aware that a severe bout can lead to incidents like this one, regardless of how are they may be.

Thai immigration police said medical personnel had boarded the plane to assess injuries, but did not confirm the number. It did however, clarify that the uninjured passengers had safely disembarked.  

First hand accounts

One passenger was able to tell what they experienced. Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student recalled how the aircraft suddenly started “tilting up and shaking,” before they said, there was then very suddenly a dramatic drop, so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was “launched immediately into the ceiling”.

Continuing, they described how some people had hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead, as well as hitting “the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it”.

Another passenger, Andrew Davies from London, described seeing head lacerations, bleeding ears and witnessing some passengers giving first aid and also shouting for a defibrillator.

Condolence messages

The Singapore’s Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said the government would provide assistance to the passengers and their families.

“I am deeply saddened to learn about the incident onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore,” he posted in a statement on Facebook; whilst the airline were quick to offer its “deepest condolences to the family of the deceased”.

Climate change increasing likelihood of turbulence on flights

Research has shown that climate change will make severe turbulence more likely in the future. Flight routes in the USA and North Atlantic have seen the largest increases, but Europe, the Middle East, and the South Atlantic have also experienced significant increases too.

The studies have indicated that climate change will increase clear-air turbulence, and this shocking event might demonstrate that it is happening quicker than initially thought.

Experts explained that whilst radar can pick up turbulence from storms, clear-air turbulence is almost invisible and therefore very difficult to detect.

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