Passengers were launched into the ceiling when the Singapore-bound jetliner plunged 6,000 feet in minutes
One person was killed and several others were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London encountered severe turbulence en route to Singapore on Tuesday. The Boeing 777 was forced to divert to Bangkok.
Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 departed Heathrow Airport on Monday night with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board. As the plane crossed the Bay of Bengal near Thailand on Tuesday, it was stricken by “severe turbulence” and forced to land just before 4pm local time, the airline said in a statement.
“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased,” the statement read.
Data from FlightRadar24 showed the widebody jet dropping from 37,000 feet (11,278 meters) to 31,000 feet (9,449 meters) in around three minutes as it neared the Thai coast.
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“Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling,” passenger Dzafran Azmir told Reuters.
“Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it,” Azmir said.