Tuesday over the Indian Ocean, a Singapore Airlines flight from London was struck by severe turbulence and plunged 6,000 feet in only a few minutes killing a 73-year-old British man and leaving more than two dozen other passengers injured.
Although this has not been confirmed, authorities say he might have had a heart attack. No further details about him are available as yet.
The Boeing 777-300ER which carried 211 passengers and 18 crew members departed London’s Heathrow Airport for Singapore and landed at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:45 p.m. local time on Tuesday according to an airline Facebook post.
Ambulance teams immediately assisted travelers. Some footage released on the LINE messaging platform via Suvarnabhumi Airport showed ambulances converging there in series.
“We are in touch with Singapore Airlines concerning flight SQ321 and we will stand by them,” said Boeing in its statement.
Reports by Singapur Airlance
Singapore Airlines flight #SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en-route. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok and landed at 1545hrs local time on 21 May 2024.
We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on…
— Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) May 21, 2024In a statement posted on Facebook, Singapore Airlines stated that a total of 18 people were still in the hospital four hours after the emergency landing while 12 others were treated on an outpatient basis.
“The remaining passengers and crew are being examined and given treatment, where necessary,” at the airport, it said.
Airports of Thailand group said the lightly injured and non-injured passengers are being assisted at a specially assigned location inside the terminal at the Suvarnabhumi Airport.
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Thailand’s Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungruangkit said in a statement that Singapore would dispatch another plane later Tuesday night to transport those lightly hurt and unhurt passengers to Changi airport. He added that it would arrive in Bangkok at 9:45 p.m.
At a news conference on Tuesday night Kittipong Kittikachorn, General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport said that he believed a heart attack was suffered by a British man.
Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24 and analyzed by The Associated Press show that the SQ321 Singapore Airlines flight was cruising approximately over an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,300 meters).
At around 0800 GMT abruptly within nearly three minutes, the Boeing 777-300ER dropped from about 31,000 feet (9,400 meters) as per the data.
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In other words, the plane remained at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9,400 meters) for a short time—less than 10 minutes and thereafter it diverted and landed in Bangkok less than half an hour later.
This was characterized by a sudden drop in turbulence when the aircraft was just above the Andaman Sea near Myanmar. At that exact point in time, the airplane sent out a “squawk code” of 7700 which is universally understood as an emergency signal.
The airline also expressed its condolences to the bereaved family of the passenger. According to Singapore Airlines’ statement, “We are working with local authorities in Thailand on how best to provide medical support while sending our team to Bangkok for any other assistance required.”
Chee Hong Tat’s Facebook page also had a message of condolences. He stated that his ministry together with Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as Changi Airport officials and Civil Aviation Authority has teamed up with airline employees so that they “are providing support to the affected passengers and their families.”
