20 passengers still in intensive care after Singapore Airlines turbulence flight

Twenty people who were on board the Singapore Airlines plane that made an emergency landing yesterday due to heavy turbulence are still in intensive care. This is reported by the Reuters news agency based on information from the hospital in Bangkok where they are housed.

The hospital reports that a total of 58 people are still being treated in various hospitals and clinics. 27 others have now been able to leave the hospital.

The plane, a Boeing 777-300ER, had been en route from London to Singapore for about ten hours when it suddenly encountered heavy turbulence over Myanmar. The plane then made an emergency landing in Thailand.

According to people on board who spoke to the press, passengers who had not put on their seat belts were mainly injured. When the aircraft suddenly lost altitude, they hit the bottom of the luggage racks. A 73-year-old man on board the aircraft died. He most likely suffered a heart attack due to the heavy turbulence.

Earlier today it was announced that 131 passengers and 12 crew members from the original flight had arrived in Singapore in the morning. The original aircraft carried 211 passengers and 18 crew members.

Yesterday, 04:06
Large number of passengers from extreme turbulence flight arrive in Singapore

A large number of the passengers and crew members who were on the plane that made an emergency landing yesterday due to heavy turbulence were taken from Thailand to Singapore on a special flight today.

131 passengers and 12 crew members from the original flight arrived in Singapore in the morning. The original aircraft carried 211 passengers and 18 crew members.

The passengers who arrived in Singapore on the special flight were met by a large number of journalists, reports Reuters news agency. Most passengers did not want to say anything, although a few told the press that there were no problems during the flight from Bangkok to Singapore.

Two passengers talk about what they experienced on board:

The Singapore Airlines plane that got into trouble yesterday was about ten hours en route from London to Singapore when it suddenly encountered heavy turbulence above Myanmar. The plane then made an emergency landing in Thailand.

Seven people were seriously injured and are in hospital with head injuries, among other things. A 73-year-old man died. He most likely suffered a heart attack as a result of the turbulence. 23 passengers, including crew members, suffered minor injuries. 79 passengers and six crew members are still in Bangkok. Some of them are in a hospital, others are relatives of those who were also on the flight.

Seat straps

According to people on board who spoke to the press, passengers who were not wearing their seat belts were mainly injured. When the aircraft suddenly lost altitude, their heads hit the bottom of the luggage racks.

"Some passengers hit their heads on the luggage racks and some on the place where the lights and masks hang. They broke right through," one of the passengers told Reuters. What exactly happened is still being investigated by authorities in Singapore.

Singapore Airlines Managing Director Goh Choon Phong said in a video statement that he was "deeply saddened by this incident". He offers his condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased man. He also said he sympathized "with everyone on board flight SQ 321 who experienced these traumatic events."

Tuesday, 8:15 PM
A death due to turbulence: six questions about air pockets, weather radar and extreme weather

Rarely in aviation history has turbulence on board had such serious consequences as it did today on a flight from London to Singapore. One passenger died and dozens were injured. It was a traumatic experience for the other passengers.

Couldn't the pilots have seen the extreme weather coming and flown around it? And what can a pilot do when it's already too late? Aviation expert Joris Melkert from TU Delft answers six questions about turbulence.

What actually happens when an airplane ends up in an air pocket?

"Turbulence is disordered air. Compare it to a storm when you stand on a tall building, the wind comes from all sides. This also happens at higher altitudes and everything is shaken up. In the aviation world a distinction is made between light , moderate and severe turbulence. Pilots will always try to avoid severe turbulence, because the last thing they want is for people to be injured on board.

An area of ​​severe turbulence is sometimes called an air pocket by passengers, because the aircraft descends suddenly. But there is no question of an area of ​​sinking air or anything like that. What happens is that during turbulence the air that passes over and under the wings and thus creates lift is disturbed. As a result, there is temporarily less lift and the aircraft then sinks due to gravity. And in heavy turbulence that can be quite a stretch.

That also happened in this case, the aircraft even dropped 2000 meters, but the question remains to what extent this was due to the turbulence and to what extent because the pilots decided to descend quickly to get out of the intense turbulence."

Can the pilot not see such an area of ​​heavy turbulence coming? Like a heavy thunderstorm?

"To a certain extent, pilots can see it coming. Modern aircraft have a weather radar on board, which also shows heavy weather. But such a system, just like the rain radar on your weather app, is always a bit behind. So it is possible that the turbulence came earlier than they thought or was more intense than they expected. An investigation has been launched to determine this."

What can a pilot do in severe turbulence?

"You can fly around it, or give passengers and cabin crew the usual warning to sit down and fasten their seat belts. But if, as in this case, you encounter very severe turbulence, the pilots will try to get out as quickly as possible by ascending or descending, and normally descending is faster.

They can also slow down to reduce the effects of turbulence. That also happened in this case."

How often does this type of intense turbulence occur?

"It has never happened in recent history that a death occurs on board due to turbulence. That is quite unique. However, injuries occur more often due to turbulence. Almost always because people do not have their seat belts fastened.

That is also the best advice for passengers, make sure you have your seat belt fastened. You don't take off your seat belt in the car either. People without a seat belt can be tossed around like a toy, with all the consequences that entails."

Last year, British researchers found that global warming is increasing the number of cases of severe turbulence. Did that also play a role here?

"It is expected that aircraft may experience turbulence more often in the coming years. One cause is that more and more flights are being flown. The second is climate change. This makes the weather more turbulent, also higher in the air, and the risk of turbulence increases. therefore also bigger.

In addition, extreme weather has always occurred more often in tropical regions. Hurricanes are also more common there. So the risk of heavy turbulence in the tropics is also somewhat greater."

Are planes designed for this kind of extreme turbulence?

"Yes. It was a long time ago that an airplane crashed solely due to turbulence. Even now, the aircraft has landed safely. Airplanes also have more and more smart systems that allow the aircraft to automatically adjust to reduce the effects of turbulence. But It remains something for pilots to be alert to."