Singapore Airlines crew were 'stoic, did everything they could': Passenger on turbulence nightmare at 37,000 feet
Singapore Airlines passenger Andrew Davies recalled what happened around him when the Boeing 777-300ER plane faced extreme turbulence that left one dead.
A passenger on the Singapore Airlines flight from London that hit severe turbulence on Tuesday recalled the horror the passengers and the crew went through during the extreme weather. Andrew Davies, who was among the 211 passengers of the flight that was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, described the event as an “awful experience”.
A male passenger was killed and 30 injured, officials and the airline said. The flight had 18 crew members.
“I was on that flight and helped as much as I could. Those not injured (including me) are in a holding area at Bangkok airport. My heart goes out to the gentleman who lost his life and his poor wife. Awful experience,” he said in a post on X, sharing chilling details of what happened on that flight.
“Lots of people injured - including the air stewards who were stoic and did everything they could. Bangkok emergency services quick to respond. Very little warning. The seatbelt sign came on, I put on my seatbelt straightaway then the plane just dropped,” he said in another post.
He said that passengers with medical training helped as much as they could and that CPR was performed on the passenger who died.
“Another passenger laid flat in aisle further behind me. Not sure what happened with them. Wish I could have helped more,” Davies said.
Passengers who are not injured disembarked from the plane on their own and an another aircraft will fly them onwards. The airline said it landed in Bangkok at 3:45 pm, local time.
Recounting the terrible flying experience, Davies said, “People’s belongings scattered, coffee and water splattered the ceiling. Surreal. So many injured people. Head lacerations, bleeding ears. A lady was screaming in pain with a bad back. I couldn’t help her - just got her water.”
He added that one of the Singapore Airlines crew said that “it was by far the worst in her 30 years of flying”.
Singapore Airlines flight dropped 6,000 feet in 3 minutes
The spokesperson for FlightRadar 24 said with regard to data showing a drop in height of the Boeing 777-300ER, "our initial thinking is the turbulence event is prior to the standard descent from 37,000 to 31,000 feet. That appears to just be a flight level change in preparation for landing."
Eighteen people have been hospitalised and 12 are being treated in hospitals, Singapore Airlines said.
