Three minutes of terror in the skies: Interactive flight map shows how Singapore Airlines jet plummeted 6,000ft in 180 horrifying seconds after hitting turbulence and air pocket over Andaman Sea

Passengers travelling on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from Heathrow awoke on Tuesday morning to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, totally oblivious to the horror about to unfold.

At 8:05am UTC - more than 10 hours into a 13-hour-long flight - some had got up from their seats to stretch their legs while pleasant and professional crewmembers distributed the refreshments. 

Others lounged in their comfortable seats, seatbelts undone, and finished off their breakfast as the aircraft soared peacefully through the skies above Myanmar at around 37,000ft.

But moments later, the cabin was plunged into a state of utter chaos when the Boeing 777-300 hit a bout of brutal turbulence that saw the aircraft drop some 6,000ft between 8:06am and 8:09am. 

The effect was devastating. 

Passengers who were unfortunate enough to be standing were volleyed into the ceiling, performing involuntary somersaults before slamming back down to the floor, their bodies viciously contorted by the sudden G-force and the awkward landing.

 

Those who had relaxed in their chairs without a seatbelt were lifted out of their seats, in many cases smacking their skulls into the overhead cabins and sustaining savage cuts and lacerations.

Of the 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, more than 100 people received first aid and dozens were taken to hospital. Of those injured, 20 are in intensive care across two hospitals in the Thai capital, officials confirmed today.

Meanwhile, 73-year-old British grandfather Geoff Kitchen suffered a fatal heart attack, such was the severity of the turbulence 

Aircraft tracking provider FlightRadar 24 said at 0849 BST the flight encountered 'a rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event' as it soared over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar, based on flight tracking data.

It was cruising at an altitude of around 37,000ft before plunging 6,000ft in 180 seconds.

Pilots quickly decided to perform an emergency diversion and began their descent to land in Bangkok shortly after.  

Weather forecasting service AccuWeather on Tuesday said rapidly developing, explosive thunderstorms near the flight path of Flight 321 most likely contributed to violent turbulence.

A pilot who regularly flies to Singapore and Southeast Asia speaking on condition of anonymity said that such storms 'are not a rare occurrence' in the region.

The pilot added that just days ago, he was forced to 'fly 30 miles off track' to avoid thunderstorms on the way to Singapore. 

It is likely that rising air currents from the huge tropical storms engulfing the region caused the violent turbulence that forced the aircraft down. 

However, full analysis of the type of turbulence that led to the tragic incident is likely to take some time.

Several passengers spoke of the savage turbulence and recounted the brutal injuries sustained by those on board in the hours following the emergency landing. 

'I saw people from across the aisle going completely horizontal, hitting the ceiling and landing back down in like really awkward positions. People, like, getting massive gashes in the head, concussions,' Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student onboard the flight, said after arriving in Singapore.

One traveller named as Jerry, who was on his way 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 plunged... 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,' he said solemnly. 

Photographs from the interior of the plane showed gashes in the overhead cabin panels, oxygen masks and panels hanging from the ceiling and luggage strewn around. 

A passenger said some people's heads had slammed into the lights above the seats and broken the panels.

Another passenger, named as Josh, said that he blacked out amid the savage turbulence. When he came to, he said pools of blood had collected on the cabin floor.

'There was water everywhere, blood everywhere, people's belongings just strewn all over the plane,' the Times reported.

The victim of the fatal heart attack was named as Geoff Kitchen, 73, who was on his 'last big holiday' with his wife, who remains in hospital.

It was later revealed that the grandfather had helped fundraise for local businesses during the pandemic with a local musical theatre group, and he and his wife spent the weekend with their grandchildren before jetting off for their 'trip of a lifetime'.

The retired insurance worker and his wife, from Thornbury, near Bristol, were heading abroad on a six-week holiday of a lifetime to South East Asia, Indonesia and Australia when disaster struck around 11 hours into their flight from Heathrow.

Neighbours yesterday told MailOnline that he had suffered heart problems in recent years and had stents put in to widen his arteries.

Close friend Steve Dimond, 73, who lives a few doors down from Mr Kitchen's three-bed home in Thornbury, said: 'You wouldn't know it, he carried on as normal and was very fit and active.

'He was very involved with amateur dramatics and was helping me make scenery for our new production. He's known his wife since they were teenagers, they are a lovely couple. It's a terrible shock, he was a really nice bloke.'

Another friend paid tribute, describing Kitchen as 'the most wonderful human being'. 

'I just can't believe that I'm having to do this, he was the most wonderful human being that you could ever know, really one of the top ones - he was stable and reliable and you always knew you were in safe hands with Geoff, he was just a remarkable man, really,' they told BBC's Today programme. 

The plane carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew made an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, where medical staff used gurneys to ferry the injured to ambulances waiting on the tarmac.

A relief flight carrying 131 passengers and 12 crew landed at Singapore's Changi Airport this morning, but 80 passengers and six crewmembers remained behind in Bangkok for treatment.

Singapore Airlines later released a statement saying another relief flight will shuttle a few more travellers on to their destination today, as others remain in the Thai capital.

'As of 1700 (1000 BST) on 22 May 2024, Singapore Airlines can confirm that an additional five passengers who were on board SQ321 will be returning to Singapore today.

'Another 74 passengers and six crew members are still in Bangkok. This includes those receiving medical care, as well as their family members and loved ones who were on the flight. One crew member is scheduled to return to Singapore tomorrow, 23 May 2024,' it read.

Earlier, Singapore Airlines chief executive Goh Choon Phong said: 'On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased passenger.

'We also deeply apologise for the trauma experienced by all passengers and crew members on this flight.

'We are providing all possible assistance and support to them, along with their families and loved ones, during this difficult time. The well-being of our passengers and staff is our utmost priority.'

Although the airline initially said 30 people were injured, Samitivej Hospital in Thailand said it was treating more than 70 passengers.

Singapore's Prime Minister said authorities will launch a 'thorough investigation' into the incident. 

Lawrence Wong also offered condolences to Kitchen's family, adding: 'I also hope and pray that those who are injured will recover and return home soon.'

Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, representing over 50,000 workers at 20 airlines, said it is important for passengers to wear seatbelts whenever seated.

'It is a matter of life and death,' Nelson said.

Turbulence-related airline accidents are the most common type of accident, according to a 2021 NTSB study.

From 2009 through 2018, the US agency found that turbulence accounted for more than a third of reported airline accidents and most resulted in one or more serious injuries, but no aircraft damage.

Singapore Airlines, which is widely recognised as one of the world's leading airlines and is seen as a benchmark for much of the industry, has not had any major incidents in recent years.

Its last accident resulting in casualties was a flight from Singapore to Los Angeles via Taipei, where it crashed on Oct. 31, 2000 at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, killing 83 of the 179 people on board.