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Singapore Airlines turbulence: What Boeing said on mid-air horror
The Singapore Transport Ministry issued a statement stating that the country was investigating the flight and would deploy investigators to Bangkok.
Boeing expressed its condolences to passengers and crew members of the Boeing 777 plane of Singapore Airlines after it suffered turbulence resulting in the death of a person and at least 30 injuries on Tuesday.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew,” Boeing said in a statement.
A flight from London to Singapore was hit with severe turbulence because of bad weather. Confirming the news, Singapore Airlines said on Facebook that its flight SQ321 from Heathrow to Singapore had to make an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:45 pm local time.
It said in a statement, “Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. We deeply apologise for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight.”
Singapore has said it will be sending investigators to Bangkok. In a statement on Tuesday, the Singapore Transport Ministry said, “The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of the Ministry of Transport (Singapore) is investigating the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 incident. TSIB is in touch with its Thai counterparts and will be deploying investigators to Bangkok.”
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A 73-year-old British man likely had a heart attack and died during the incident. Seven people had serious head injuries. Singapore Airlines said 18 people were hospitalised, and 12 are still being treated in hospitals.
What happened?
The Boeing 777-300ER plane, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was on its way to Singapore when it made an emergency landing, according to the airline.
The flight fell in an air pocket while the cabin crew was serving breakfast and then experienced turbulence. This caused the pilots to request an emergency landing, Suvarnabhumi Airport's general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn said at a press conference.
Suvarnabhumi Airport said the plane requested an emergency landing at 3:35pm local time and landed at 3:51pm. Uninjured passengers got off, and another aircraft took them to their destination. As reported by Reuters, the airline said the plane landed at 3:45pm.
