An Australian woman has recalled the terrifying moment she was thrown against the roof of the plane while she slept on the Singapore Airlines flight that suffered severe turbulence and caused the death of a passenger.
Fifty-six Australians were aboard SQ321 from London to Singapore on Tuesday afternoon when it suddenly sank, sending passengers and crew to the roof.
Geoffrey Kitchen, a 73-year-old musical theater director from Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, died of a suspected heart attack and dozens more were injured.
Eight Australians are in hospital along with several others, while the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok.
Teandra Tuhkunen, 30, from Melbourne, was left with one arm in a sling after being thrown onto the roof of the plane.
“They woke me up because they threw me on the roof and then on the floor,” he told Sky News from Bangkok’s Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital.
Teandra Tuhkunen, 30, from Melbourne, was left with one arm in a sling after being thrown onto the roof of the plane.
‘It was very fast, it happened in a couple of seconds and then you are shocked. Everyone is pretty scared.
Ms Tuhkunen said she did not have time to put on her seat belt when the sign appeared and was immediately thrown up.
Jerry, a 68-year-old British grandfather, will have to miss his son’s wedding in Australia after he, his wife and daughter were injured on the flight.
Jerry was interviewed by the BBC with a large bandage on his forehead.
‘Suddenly the plane fell, I don’t know how far but it was very long and very sudden. “There was no warning,” the passenger said.
‘I ended up hitting my head on the ceiling (and) my wife did. Some poor people who were walking ended up doing somersaults, it was absolutely terrible.
‘Suddenly it stopped and became calm again. The staff did everything possible to care for the injured, there were many.’
Jerry, a 68-year-old British grandfather, will have to miss his son’s wedding in Australia after he, his wife and daughter were injured on the flight.
He praised the staff on board, several of whom also suffered injuries.
When they landed in Bangkok, medical teams sent the injured passengers to the hospital.
Jerry said he and his wife were initially separated but managed to reunite.
His daughter and wife remain in hospital, and the family will fly home from Bangkok and miss their son’s wedding.
David, from Aberfoyle Park in Adelaide, said his sister and her husband were on board and were fortunately buckled up when the turbulence hit.
“She said basically the seat belt light came on, there was no chance for people to put their seat belt on, (the plane) just fell and everyone that was near them just flew up and hit the roof,” he said. David to FIVEaa Radio.
He said his sister called family and close friends to tell them she loved them, fearing the worst.
It comes as former pilot and Bachelor star Jimmy Nicholson shut down news reports that the plane had sunk to more than 6,000 feet in just five minutes.
“This is not a sudden drop due to turbulence, it is a controlled descent,” he said in a TikTok explaining the incident.
‘Probably because the plane needed to divert to Bangkok or because they were descending out of the turbulence.
‘This is a very sad and very rare event, but it is important to remember that these things don’t happen very often.
“We do everything we can to avoid turbulence, but sometimes it happens.”
Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas backed Nicholson’s comments, saying the plane probably fell as much as 20 meters, rather than 6,000 feet, before the pilot descended.
In subsequent images, a flight attendant is seen with blood on her face (pictured)
“The plane either encountered a severe storm and flew too close to it or was hit by clear air turbulence in the form of wind shear, which is a change in wind direction,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
Thomas said this type of plane would have had weather radar that would allow it to see up to 500,000 kilometers ahead, but areas of turbulence are not so easily detected.
He said turbulence can be detected from about 50 kilometers away, but even then it is not always accurate.
“If it was clear air turbulence, the pilot could have received a warning from 50 kilometers away, but he also could have received no warning at all,” Thomas said.
The expert said passengers on board may have suffered spinal injuries, broken arms and wrists, and cuts and lacerations to the head.
Thomas, who has written about aviation for 45 years, believes seat belts should be mandatory for passengers whenever they are seated.
The disaster, caused by a pocket of unexpected turbulence 11 hours into the trip, forced the plane to make an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport.
“When you’re on the plane they tell you that we recommend wearing your seat belt, but I think they should say that you should have it on,” he said.
“I think it has to come from the captain and the security video.”
Turbulence has also increased by 55 percent since 1979 due to climate change, according to a study by the United Kingdom’s University of Reading.
“It was a freak accident, but having said that, these things will become more common,” Mr Thomas said.
“But it’s very rare and flying is surprisingly safe. If you think about it, there are 110,000 flights taking place every day.”
Of the 211 passengers and 18 crew aboard the Singapore Airlines flight, Thai authorities said 71 people had been sent for treatment, six of whom were seriously injured and many suffered head lacerations from being thrown upwards.
A relief flight carrying 143 of SQ321’s passengers and crew members who were able to travel arrived in Singapore early Wednesday morning.
Singapore Airlines offered its condolences to the family of the man who died and apologized for the “traumatic experience” suffered by passengers and crew.
Nearly 60 Australians were on board flight SQ321 from London to Singapore on Tuesday when the Boeing 777-300ER plane suddenly plunged, throwing passengers and crew onto the roof.