Singapore Airlines plane hit by fatal turbulence dropped 178ft in 4.6 seconds and suffered rapid change in G-force that threw passengers into the ceiling, early report finds

A Singapore Airlines plane hit by fatal turbulence last week fell 58 meters in just 4.6 seconds and experienced a rapid change in G-force that sent passengers somersaulting in mid-air, an early report shows. research.

A 73-year-old passenger named as musical theater director Geoffrey Kitchen died of a suspected heart attack and dozens were injured after Flight SQ321, flying from London to Singapore, encountered what the airline described as sudden, extreme turbulence while flying over Myanmar. .

The May 21 flight on a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board was diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing after the plane was hit by turbulence that threw passengers and crew around the cabin and some hit the ceiling .

‘The aircraft experienced a rapid change in G (gravity). This likely resulted in the occupants not wearing their seat belts and becoming airborne,” Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said in a statement.

‘The vertical acceleration changed from negative 1.5G to positive 1.5G within 4 seconds. This likely caused the airborne occupants to fall back down,” the report said, citing information from the flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

‘The rapid changes in G over a duration of 4.6 seconds resulted in an altitude drop of 178 feet, from 37,362 feet to 37,184 feet. This sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers,” it added.

Singapore Airlines said it acknowledges the report and is fully cooperating with the investigation.

The airline said late on Tuesday that 42 people were still on board the flight in Bangkok, including 26 passengers who were receiving medical treatment at hospital.

Among those initially hospitalized were patients with spinal cord injuries and some with brain and skull injuries, according to Thai medical officials.

The preliminary report stated that during the flight there was an uncontrolled increase in altitude with minor vibrations, causing the autopilot to tilt the plane downwards. The pilots experienced an increase in airspeed and responded by applying speed braking.

“While controlling airspeed… a pilot was heard to shout that the ‘fasten seat belt’ sign had been engaged,” it said.

Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Airlines said on Wednesday that from Thursday, passengers will be required to fasten their seat belts at all times during the flight, even if the seat belt sign is off.

The company said it is not a mandatory requirement but a precaution for passenger safety.

The investigation team included Singaporean investigators and U.S. representatives from Boeing, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said the investigation was ongoing.

Caught in deadly turbulence, standing passengers ‘somersaulted’ as they were slammed into the cabin ceiling, a shocked passenger said.

Harrowing images on board showed the cabin strewn with debris as distraught passengers desperately tried to stem the blood flowing from severe cuts and blunt force injuries.

A passenger named Jerry, who traveled aboard the ill-fated flight SQ321 to his son’s wedding, said it was “the worst flight of my life.”

Speaking to BBC reporters with a bandage covering part of his head, he said: ‘Suddenly the plane crashed… there was no warning at all, and I ended up hitting my head on the ceiling, and my wife did .

“Some poor people walking around ended up doing somersaults. It was absolutely terrible.’

Tributes poured in for Geoffrey Kitchen in the days after it was revealed he had died on the plane of a suspected heart attack.

His heartbroken daughter Anna Proctor posted on Facebook ‘Love you Dad x’ after her father, who was on his ‘last big holiday’ with his wife, died in the shocking disaster.

A friend of the couple told the BBC that they “loved travelling” and were “really excited” about the trip, which would see them embark on a cruise in Indonesia before traveling to Australia.

Lizzie Atkins also described him as “the most wonderful human being you could ever know.”

Ms Atkins, a fellow member of Bristol-based musical theater group Thornbury, said: “He would do anything for you. He was just great.’

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she said: ‘He was just a remarkable man really.

‘He was stable and reliable, and you always knew you were in safe hands with Geoff.

“He had a very dry sense of humor and had a twinkle in his eye and every time you saw him you just knew he was going to make a funny joke.”

She added: ‘He was the most wonderful human being you could ever know, one of the best.’

More to follow.