Singapore Airlines emergency: Aussie Teandra Tuhkunen recalls moment she was thrown from her seat and hit the plane’s roof

An Australian woman has recalled the terrifying moment she was thrown into the roof of the plane while sleeping on the Singapore Airlines flight, which hit heavy turbulence and resulted in the death of one passenger.

Fifty-six Aussies were aboard the SQ321 from London to Singapore on Tuesday afternoon when it suddenly plunged, slamming passengers and crew into the ceiling.

Geoffrey Kitchen, a 73-year-old musical theater director from Gloucestershire, UK, died of a suspected heart attack, while dozens of others were injured.

Eight Australians are in hospital along with a number of others, while the plane had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok.

Teandra Tuhkunen, 30, from Melbourne, was left with one arm in a sling after being thrown into the roof of the plane.

“I woke up because I was thrown on the roof and then on the ground,” she told Sky News from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok.

‘It just happened so quickly, in a few seconds it was over and then you’re just shocked. Everyone is quite panicked.’

Ms Tuhkunen said she did not have time to put on her seat belt when the sign came on and was immediately thrown upwards.

A 68-year-old grandfather from Britain, Jerry, will now have to miss his son’s wedding in Australia after he, his wife and his daughter were injured during the flight.

Jerry was interviewed by the BBC with a large bandage over his forehead.

‘Suddenly the plane crashed, I don’t know how far, but it was a long way and so suddenly. There was no warning at all,” the passenger said.

“I ended up hitting my head on the ceiling (and) my wife did too. Some poor people walking around ended up doing somersaults, it was absolutely horrible.

‘Suddenly it stopped and it was quiet again. The staff did their best to care for the wounded, there were many.’

He praised the staff on board, some of whom were also injured.

When they landed in Bangkok, medical teams sent the injured passengers to hospital.

Jerry said he and his wife were initially separated but managed to reunite.

His daughter and wife remain in hospital as the family flies home from Bangkok and misses their son’s wedding.

David, from Aberfoyle Park in Adelaide, said his sister and her husband were on board and luckily trapped when the turbulence hit.

“She said the seat belt light came on, there was no chance for people to buckle up, the plane just crashed and everyone nearby just flew and hit the roof,” David told FIVEaa Radio .

He said his sister called close family and friends to tell them she loved them, fearing the worst.

It comes as former Bachelor star and pilot Jimmy Nicholson shut down news reports that the plane plunged more than 6,000 feet in just five minutes.

“This is not a sudden descent due to turbulence, this is a controlled descent,” he said in a TikTok explaining the incident.

‘Probably because the plane had to divert to Bangkok or because they were descending from the turbulence.

‘This is a very sad and very rare occurrence, but it is important to remember that these things do not happen often.

“We do our utmost to avoid turbulence, but sometimes it happens.”

Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas backed Nicholson’s comments, saying the plane likely plunged to 65 feet rather than 6,000 feet before the pilot descended.

“The aircraft either encountered a severe thunderstorm and flew too close to it, or it was hit by clear air turbulence in the form of wind shear, which is a change in wind direction,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

Mr Thomas said the type of aircraft would have had weather radar that allowed it to see up to 500,000km ahead, but areas of turbulence are not so easily detected.

He said turbulence can be detected from a distance of about 50 km, but even then it is not always accurate.

“If it was obvious air turbulence, the pilot might have gotten a warning from 30 miles away, but he also couldn’t have gotten any warning at all,” Thomas said.

The expert said the passengers on board may have suffered back injuries, broken arms and wrists and lacerations and lacerations to their heads.

Mr Thomas, who has written about aviation for 45 years, said he believes seat belts should be mandatory for passengers when seated.

“When you’re on the plane, they say we recommend you wear your seat belt, but I think they should tell you to wear your seat belt,” he said.

“I think it has to come from the captain and the safety video.”

According to a study by Britain’s University of Reading, turbulence has also increased by 55 percent since 1979 due to climate change.

“It was a freak accident, but that being said, these things are going to happen more and more often,” Thomas said.

‘But it is very rare and flying is surprisingly safe. If you think about it, there are 110,000 flights every day.”

Of the 211 passengers and 18 crew on board the Singapore Airlines flight, Thai authorities said 71 people were sent for treatment, six of whom were seriously injured, with many suffering cuts to the head as they were thrown aloft.

A relief flight carrying 143 of the SQ321 passengers and crew who were able to travel arrived in Singapore early Wednesday morning.

Singapore Airlines extended its condolences to the family of the deceased man and apologized for the “traumatic experience” suffered by passengers and crew.