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Seriously-injured wife of Singapore Airlines victim has been told he died when Boeing 777 hit turbulence at 37,000 feet
The seriously injured wife of plane passenger Geoff Kitchen has been told he died when their aircraft hit turbulence at 37,000ft.
Mother-of-two Linda Kitchen suffered serious spinal injuries when the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 suddenly dropped 6,000ft.
Her husband Geoff, 73, a retired insurance worker, is believed to have suffered a heart attack and died in the seat next to her.
The plane diverted to Bangkok where critically injured Mrs Kitchen was taken off along with up to 70 injured passengers and crew.
She is in intensive care and was told this morning that her husband of almost 50 years had died in the tragedy.
Mother-of-two Linda Kitchen (pictured here on the right with her husband Geoff) suffered serious spinal injuries when the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 suddenly dropped 6,000ft
Her husband Geoff, 73, is believed to have suffered a heart attack and died in the seat next to her
Oxygen masks are seen hanging from the ceiling in the cabin of the Singapore Airlines flight
Grandmother Mrs Kitchen was able to speak to her son Stuart on the phone from her hospital bed this morning.
A family friend said: 'She was woozy with painkillers and she's going for a second scan.
'She has spinal and shoulder injuries - I think she was unconscious when they got her off the plane.
'The tragic news was broken to her this morning. They were such a devoted couple, you can't imagine what it must be like for her.'
The 'adventurous' couple were on their way to a six-week holiday of a lifetime taking in Singapore, Japan, and Indonesia before heading to Australia.
Injured passengers were given numbers on their stretchers when they came off the plane because their names weren't known.
Geoff and Linda's family in the UK were unable to get information until the Thai authorities brought in translators to help worried family members of those caught up in the plane drama.
The couple's children Stuart and Anna Proctor have remained in the UK but the close friend said there were plans for them to fly to Bangkok, while heartbroken Anna earlier today posted on Facebook: 'Love you Dad x.'
Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, ran the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in Bristol
His heartbroken daughter Anna Proctor earlier today posted a tribute on Facebook
The aircraft had hit an air pocket and plummeted an astonishing 6,000ft in just five minutes, with the sudden drop unleashing mayhem onboard and forcing the plane to make an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport.
It has been revealed that grandfather Mr Kitchen had helped fundraise for local businesses during the pandemic with a local musical theatre group.
He and his wife spent the weekend with their grandchildren saying goodbye before jetting off for their planned holiday.
A friend of the couple told the BBC this morning they 'loved to travel' and were 'very excited' for the trip, which would see them embark on a cruise in Indonesia before travelling to Australia.
Lizzie Atkins also described him as 'the most wonderful human being that you could ever know'.
Ms Atkins, a fellow member of Bristol-based Thornbury musical theatre group, said: 'He would do anything for you. He was just amazing.'
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she said: 'He was just a remarkable man, really.
'He was stable and reliable, and you always knew you were in safe hands with Geoff.
A video posted online shows how Mr Kitchen (bottom left) was involved in his local musical theatre group
Photos were posted on social media by accounts claiming to show the aftermath of the emergency landing. One (left) purportedly showed food strewn across the floor, while another (right) was said to show the ambulances on the tarmac at the airport
The interior of Singapore Airline flight SG321 is pictured after yesterday's emergency landing
'He had a really dry sense of humour and had a twinkle in his eye and every time you saw him you just knew that he was going to make a funny joke.'
She added: 'He was the most wonderful human being that you could ever know, one of the top ones.'
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said it was supporting Mr Kitchen's family and was in contact with local authorities.
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 leafy 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 was a good singer, a fine actor, he was on the committee, he loved musical theatre.
'He and his wife like live music, all sorts, folk jazz, everything. 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.'
Video shows emergency services taking one passenger out from the cabin on a stretcher
Passengers are seen on the Singapore Airlines plane after it made an emergency landing in Bangkok today. Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling, as did other components
Wine bottles, kettles and food trays are seen scattered across the floor of the cabin
He added: 'They were very adventurous and had been planning the holiday for a long time.
'They spent last weekend with their grandchildren because they wouldn't be seeing them for a while.'
Fellow members of the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group were left devastated by the news.
One member, Steve Young, said: 'Total shock. Geoff was a tremendous chap who had time for everyone. He never failed to make me laugh.'
Peter Wiggins added: 'Such a lovely man, very talented and great fun to work with. I'll never forget his Fagin in Oliver, superb.'
Nigel Newman said: 'A real shock, so sad. In my time with the group Geoff was always a great go-to guy, and as others have said, a man with kindness and humour, and an insightfulness I always appreciated. My wishes and thoughts go to all those close to him.'
Passengers on the fateful flight told how they and flight crew desperately tried to save Mr Kitchen's life by delivering CPR, as well as tending to other injured passengers.
In a Facebook post shared on Tuesday evening, Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in Bristol said: 'It is with a heavy heart that we learn of the devastating news of the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend Geoff Kitchen in the recent Singapore Air Incident.
Emergency ambulance vehicles drive to transport injured passengers from a flight from London to Singapore to a hospital, after an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport
Of the 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, Thai authorities said 71 people had been sent for treatment, six of whom were seriously injured
Passengers said Thai emergency services worked quickly to help those on board after the plane made an emergency landing
A woman in a wheelchair and carrying a baby is seen being taken off the tarmac in Bangkok
'Geoff was always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity and always did what was right for the group.
'His commitment to TMTG was unquestionable and he has served the group and the local community of Thornbury for over 35 years, holding various offices within the group, including Chairman, Treasurer and most recently Secretary.
'Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family at this difficult time, and we ask that you respect their privacy.'
A video posted online in 2020 showed how Mr Kitchen led the group in a rendition of You Will Be Found from musical Dear Evan Hansen, as a way to 'say thank you to the people and businesses of Thornbury for everything you have done'.
The poignant message added: 'To our friends, family, audiences, local businesses, the Armstrong Hall which has given us a home for almost 50 years and everybody else in our local community, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.'
The 16-year-old Boeing 777 had left Heathrow at 10.17pm on Monday and was diverted to Bangkok, landing at 3.45pm local time (9.45am BST) on Tuesday.
There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board - including 47 passengers from the UK and four Irish nationals.
Singapore Airlines said: 'Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, operating from London Heathrow to Singapore on May 20, encountered severe turbulence en route.
After around 11 hours of flying time from take off in London, the aircraft sharply dropped 6,000 feet in just five minutes, causing chaos in the cabin. In pictures of the aftermath, one air stewardess was seen with blood over her face (pictured)
Exposed pipes are seen on the plane after yesterday's incident
The Singapore airline aircraft is seen on tarmac after requesting an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand, May 21, 2024
'We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board.
'Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.'
Terrified passengers have described how they had little to no warning to put their seatbelts on before the aircraft suddenly dropped while the crew were serving breakfast, with one passenger saying people were 'launched into the ceiling' as the plane fell through the sky.
Others described how those not wearing seatbelts at the time were launched into the air, sustaining head injuries, while others were seen with bleeding ears.
Pictures from the flight show debris littering the plane, oxygen masks deployed and damage to interior fittings.
One traveller on board Flight SQ321 to Singapore said the plane suffered a 'dramatic drop', meaning people not wearing a seatbelt were 'launched immediately into the ceiling'.
Another passenger, Jerry, who was travelling to his son's wedding, told the BBC the day was 'the worst of my life'.
He also revealed his harrowing experience trying to locate his wife, daughter and grandson at a Bangkok hospital.
Speaking with a bandage covering part of his head, he said: 'Things were going very smoothly at first. I'd just been to the loo, came back, sat down, bit of turbulence, and suddenly the plane plunged.
Pictured: Passengers are seen in the cabin after the incident today, with belongings strewn across the floor and oxygen masks dangling from above
General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Kittipong Kittikachorn speaks to the media during a press conference after a flight from London to Singapore diverted in an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport
This flight tracker showed the plane's route from London before diverting to Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok
Flight tracking websites showed flight SQ321 diverting from its planned route to Singapore and instead landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. The plane is shown dropping 6,000 feet as it flies over Myanmar
'I don't know how far, but it was a long way. (It was) so sudden, there was no warning at all, and I ended up hitting my head on the ceiling, my wife did.
'Some poor people walking around ended up doing somersaults. It was absolutely terrible, and then suddenly it stopped and it was calm again, and the staff did their best to tend to the injured people.
'There were a lot of them and some of the staff are injured themselves, so they did a sterling job.'
Flightradar24 said its tracking data showed the plane encountering turbulence at approximately 8.49am BST while flying over Myanmar.
The flight tracking service said data sent from the aircraft showed a 'rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event', adding that there were 'some severe' thunderstorms in the area at the time.
Full timeline of Boeing problems in 2024
January 5
On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - lost a door plug at 16,000 feet on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.
That part is designed to replace an unneeded emergency exit door, and it blew out within just 20 minutes of takeoff.
An emergency landing was required and the plane landed safely, but a teddy bear, two mobile phones, a child's t-shirt were all said to have have flown out during the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of the 737 Max 9s in the aftermath and six of the flight's passengers went on to sue the airline.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines also went on to find loose parts on their grounded jets' door plugs.
On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - lost a door plug at 16,000 feet on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California
The missing door panel was found in a high school physics teacher's back yard
January 16
An anonymous whistleblower broke rank to say that the door plug blowout 'was Boeing's fault', rather than its supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
First reported by The Seattle Times, they claimed the fuselage panel was removed for repair then reinstalled improperly at its Washington factory
'The reason the door blew off is stated in black and white in Boeings own records,' they wrote on aviation site Leeham News.
'It is also very, very stupid and speaks volumes about the quality culture at certain portions of the business.'
February 6
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report said that the January 5 incident was down to four crucial bolds being missing from the panel which blew out.
February 21
Boeing's 737 Max program chief, Ed Clark, was reportedly fired in a structural shakeup at the company.
Clark was also general manager at the company's Renton, Washington, facility and had been at Boeing for 18 years.
He was replaced by Katie Ringgold, while a 'senior vice president of quality' role was created too.
March 3
A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 veered off the runway after landing in Houston due to some sort of gear collapse.
Shocking footage showed the plane lying flat on its wings on grass by the side of the runway, while passengers were hurried off from an emergency gate ladder.
A Boeing 737 Max operated by United Airlines veered off the tarmac into the grass when exiting the runway at George Bush Airport in Houston early Friday
March 4
An audit by the FAA of both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems 'found multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements'.
March 6
The head of the NTSB accused Boeing of 'not cooperating' with its investigation into the January incident.
Jennifer Homendy said investigators sought the names of the 25 people who work on door plugs at the Renton facility, but had not received them from Boeing.
She told a Senate Committee hearing 'it is absurd that two months later we don't have it'.
However, Boeing spokesperson Connor Greenwood pushed back and insisted that names of employees were provided 'early in the investigation'.
The same day, a 737's engine caught fire in mid-air above Texas, causing an emergency landing minutes into its journey to Fort Myers, Florida.
March 7
A wheel fell off a Boeing 777-200 shortly after takeoff from San Francisco, crushing cars below.
The plane with 235 passengers and 14 crew diverted to Los Angeles Airport after it was alerted to the landing gear failure and landed safely with no further incident and no injuries reported on the ground.
March 9
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, 62 - a former quality control manager and employee of 32 years - was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel days after testifying against the company in a lawsuit.
The coroner put it down to a 'self-inflicted' gunshot wound in the head, though the police confirmed that they would investigate further.
Barnett had made a string of complaints to his higher-ups in his time as a quality control manager before leaving the company on health grounds in 2017.
In January 2024, he appeared on TMZ to say that the 737 Max 9 aircraft were being launched back into the air too soon in the wake of the accident, suggesting corners had been cut.
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel days after testifying against his former employer
March 11
A Boeing 777 was was forced to land due to hydraulic fluid spewing from its landing gear area.
The forced landing happened as the San Francisco-bound 777-300 embarked from Sydney, with fluid filmed leaking from its undercarriage.
March 15
A United Airlines 737 was grounded after it was found to be missing a panel after it touched down successfully in Medford Airport, Oregon, despite the missing part.
March 20
A Boeing 737 900 bound for Atlanta was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing after an engine blow out on take-off from Aruba.
The Delta flight circled the Caribbean island four times before coming back into land following the 'mechanical issue'.
March 29
United Airlines flight 990 - a Boeing 777-200 - from San Francisco to Paris had to touch down early in Denver after engine problems.
April 4
Alaska Airlines announced that they had received $160 million in compensation from Boeing after their 737 Max 9s were grounded following the January 5 door blowout.
The amount was equal to the revenue lost according to a filing from the airline, but Alaska added that it anticipated receiving extra compensation too.
April 10
Another whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, came forward in a Senate committee hearing to accuse Boeing of taking shortcuts when building its 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets and added that the company had retaliated against him when he raised concerns.
He doubled down on the claims a week later, adding on NBC that 787s should be grounded fearing 'fatal flaws' which could case them to fall apart mid-air.
In a 1,500 word statement, Boeing said it was 'fully confident' in the 787 and called concerns about structural integrity 'inaccurate.'
Pictured: Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour testifies before the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations on April 17
April 11
An internal Boeing review in response to an initial Wall Street Journal investigation found that CEO Dave Calhoun and other bosses at the aviation firm spent $500,000 on company private jets for personal trips which were improperly recorded as business travel.
Boeing's review concluded that some of the flights taken by executives in 2021 and 2022 'were not previously classified as perquisites by the company'.
In the company's proxy filing on April 5, Boeing said that these flights 'should have been classified as such in accordance with SEC rules and guidance'.
April 16
United Airlines indicated it will reduce reliance on Boeing after announcing a $124m loss in the first quarter of 2024, which it blamed on the scandal-laden manufacturer.
April 24
Boeing's CEO assured investors after a first-quarter loss of $355m was announced which coincided with a six per cent dip in share prices.
Calhoun added that he had a successor lined up for his departure at the end of 2024 who would come from inside the company.
April 26
Delta flight 520 was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport when an emergency slide fell off the Boeing 767 an hour into its journey to Los Angeles.
FAA records indicated that the plane was 33 years old.
April 30
Joshua Dean (pictured) died suddenly on April 30 aged 45 having raised the alarm about supposed defects in 737 Max jets
Dean was employed by Spirit AeroSystems based in Wichita, Kansas
A second whistleblower, Joshua Dean, died suddenly aged 45 having raised the alarm about supposed defects in 737 Max jets.
The former Spirit employee previously said he was fired from his quality auditing role for questioning standards at the supplier's plant in Wichita, Kansas, in October 2022.
His family said on social media that Dean died in hospital after a sudden illness.
Earlier in 2024, Dean spoke with NPR about being fired. 'I think they were sending out a message to anybody else. If you are too loud, we will silence you,' he said.
May 6
The US Federal Aviation Administration revealed it has opened an investigation into Boeing after the company reported that workers at a South Carolina plant falsified inspection records on certain 787 planes.
Boeing said its engineers have determined that misconduct did not create 'an immediate safety of flight issue'.
No planes have been taken out of service, but having to perform the test out of order on planes will slow the delivery of jets still being built at the final assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Boeing must also create a plan to address planes that are already flying, the FAA said.
Shocking footage showed the moment the plane attempted an emergency landing, smashing down into the runway and scraping its nose along the concrete
May 8
A FedEx Airlines Boeing cargo plane landed at Istanbul Airport without the front landing gear deployed and managed to stay on the runway, Turkey's transport ministry said, adding that there were no casualties.
The Boeing 767 aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, informed the traffic control tower at Istanbul Airport that its landing gear failed to open and it landed with guidance from the tower, the ministry said in its statement.
Airport rescue and fire fighting teams made necessary preparations on the runway before landing, and no one was injured, the ministry also said, without giving a reason for the failure.
Footage showed sparks flying and smoke billowing as the front end of the plane scraped along the runway before being doused with firefighting foam.
May 9
A Corendon Airlines Boeing 737 plane's front tire burst upon landing at an airport in southern Turkey on Thursday, the Turkish transport minister said, adding there were no casualties and all 190 passengers and crew were evacuated.
The front landing gear strut was damaged on the Corendon Airlines plane, arriving from Cologne, Germany, as it landed at Alanya-Gazipasa airport in Antalya.
The same day, a Boeing passenger plane came off the runway during takeoff from Dakar international airport, injuring 11 people and shutting the hub for hours.
A Boeing 738 plane of Corendon Airlines that operated Cologne-Antalya flight gets stuck on runway due to a burst tire in Antalya, Turkiye on May 9, 2024
Pictures from the scene in Turkey showed the stationary aircraft on the tarmac flanked by emergency vehicles - its front wheels and landing gear crumpled underneath. Corendon Airlines denied Turkish reports that the aircraft had landed on its nose
In this grab taken from video people jump down emergency slides, running from a plane, in Dakar, Senegal, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. A Boeing 737 plane carrying 85 people caught fire and skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 11 people
The Air Senegal flight was bound for the Malian capital Bamako and had 78 passengers on board, plus a crew of six including two pilots, airport management company LAS said in a statement.
Images showed the aircraft in an overgrown area with first aiders surrounding an injured person. Smoke and flames are also visible near the plane.
Also on May 9, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating statements made by Boeing Co. about its safety practices after a mid-air panel blowout on a 737 MAX flight in January.
The SEC will examine whether the planemaker or its executives misled investors in violation of the Wall Street regulator's rules, the report said, citing three people familiar with the development.
May 14
Boeing has violated a settlement that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft more than five years ago, the Justice Department told a federal judge.
It is now up to the Justice Department (DOJ) to decide whether to file charges against Boeing. Prosecutors will tell the court no later than July 7 how they plan to proceed, the department said.
May 21
One person died and others were injured on a flight from London to Singapore which plummeted 6,000ft in five minutes before making an emergency landing in Thailand.
The Boeing 777 plane operated by Singapore Airlines left the UK's Heathrow airport on Monday evening at 22.17pm local time with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
However, flight SQ321 experienced severe turbulence while flying close to Myanmar airspace in a region being battered by extreme tropical thunderstorms.
Pictured: Passengers are seen in the cabin after the incident on Tuesday, with belongings strewn across the floor and oxygen masks dangling from above
Passengers are seen on the Singapore Airlines plane after it made an emergency landing in Bangkok on Tuesday. Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling, as did other components
Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, (pictured) who ran the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in Bristol, was on board the plane when the incident happened
After around 11 hours of flying time from take off in London, the aircraft sharply dropped from an altitude of around 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within just five minutes as it finished traversing the Andaman Sea and neared Thailand.
Boeing said: 'We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them.
'We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew.'