One dead after severe turbulence hits Singapore Airlines flight

[brooklynite]

One person has died on board a Singapore Airlines plane that encountered severe turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore, the airline said Tuesday.

The Boeing 777-300ER plane diverted to Bangkok, according to a post on the Singapore Airlines Facebook page. A number of people have been injured, the airline said, though the company did not specify how many. It said 211 passengers and 18 crew were on board.

The flight landed in Bangkok at 3:45 p.m. local time (4:45 a.m. ET) Tuesday.

“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,” the company said in its post.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/21/world/singapore-airlines-turbulence-bangkok/index.html

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/sq321#354eb60f

[phylny]

1. What a tragedy.

I wonder if the person had a fastened seatbelt? I guess they’ll be researching that among other things.

[Liberal In Texas]

2. This is why you keep the seatbelt on all during the flight except if you

have to go to the head. If you don't the sudden drops and climbs can throw you around the cabin and cause injury to you and other passengers.

It's bad enough that the cabin crew petty much can't be belted in all the time but I see passengers all the time ignore the belt indicator light during a flight.

[brooklynite]

3. Photos

[Liberal In Texas]

5. Cabin crew in the pic. Show how vulnerable they are.

The hanging oxygen/light-call panels are evidence of passengers hitting the ceiling above their seats.

[BoRaGard]

4. Get used to this shit. Despite republican lies, climate chaos is upon us

Derechos and twisters and turbulence up the wazoo.

Nature don't give a shit what lies the republicans are telling now.

It's on. Reality.

[haele]

6. You can't really blame that on the plane or airliner.

Could have been someone with an underlying condition and the shock of being in turbulence, or a severe head injury from a passenger that was unbuckled or up walking in the aisles.

Haele

[OneGrassRoot]

7. Stupid question:

I haven't flown in ages, and a poster upthread mentioned climate change as a possible reason for this type of severe event and that it may happen more often.

Does anyone know if pilots are still able to give a warning, however short, that turbulence is ahead? I realize in this case even having seatbelts on could have resulted in many of the injuries given how extreme this was and the condition of the cabin shown afterward, but do you think or know if some warning is still possible as it used to be? I know nothing about the info available to pilots nowadays.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

You can see weather on a radar; you can't see clear-air turbulence. A plane that has gone through the area in the past couple hours can give some advice to the next plane, but it's not specific.

[ProfessorGAC]

13. Good Answer

I've had flights with a captain announcing everybody should sit & wear belts. 5 minutes later, it was like driving down railroad tracks.
Other times, no warning but sane thing.
The flight crew will let passengers know if THEY know. If they don't know about it, nothing. They can't warn about things they have no idea is coming.

[Liberal In Texas]

10. Seatbelts would have no doubt prevented all the injuries (except cabin crew were probably moving around working.)

[question everything]

9. Scary

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. It's thought he died from a heart attack; but 7 others have "critical" injuries

A British man, 73, has died on a flight from London to Singapore that hit "sudden extreme turbulence" over Myanmar
Authorities in Bangkok - where the plane diverted - say he "likely" suffered a heart attack
The man was travelling with his wife; she has been admitted to hospital
In total, 30 people were taken to hospital, seven with critical injuries
There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board - the passengers were mainly from Australia, the UK, Singapore, New Zealand, and Malaysia
One passenger says anyone not wearing a seatbelt was "launched into the ceiling"
Another describes screaming and "head lacerations"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-69044396?ns_mchannel=social&ns_source=twitter&ns_campaign=bbc_live&ns_linkname=664ca1cfe5702a5b8f6bc4ed%26Recap%3A%20British%20man%20dies%20in%20%27sudden%20extreme%20turbulence%27%20on%20flight%262024-05-21T15%3A11%3A30.204Z&ns_fee=0&pinned_post_locator=urn:asset:c0cb5b76-351a-4bac-8b34-5a10607fb699&pinned_post_asset_id=664ca1cfe5702a5b8f6bc4ed&pinned_post_type=share

[SorellaLaBefana]

12. Even on pilot sites not finding much more about what happened to this Singapore flight

Occurred around local noon (according to some). No one seems to know if was CAT (Clear Air Turbulence) or that associated with thunderstorms. Lots of arguing over seatbelt signs, falling luggage, global warming (as/as not causative in the seeming increase in CAT) and such. No one with direct knowledge of this incident that i've found.

Oh, and the reported six thousand foot 'drop' was NOT a drop, but a ~2,000 FPM descent started *after * the plane had diverted, was squawking transponder emergency code 7700 and was descending for landing. The altitude excursions during the event were from FL37 with max 275 feet above, and 25 feet below: this certainly would be more consistent with CAT than CB turbulence.

However several posters report that there were heavy storms in the vicinity. Someone provided a sat pix but with no indication of where the plane was in relation to these buildups.

Speculation is all we really have at the moment.