Man hit ceiling as Singapore flight plummeted and passengers 'did somersaults'

22 May 2024 , 06:40

718     0

The passenger spoke of his horror on board the Singapore Airlines flight (Image: BBC)

A grandfather who was among the injured on a flight to Singapore which suddenly fell thousands of feet in seconds has spoken of the horror trip.

Flight SQ321 left the UK on Monday evening at 10.17pm local time but experienced severe turbulence over and plunged 6,000ft off the coast of Thailand. People not wearing seatbelts were launched into the ceiling of the Singapore Airlines service. Tragically, the accident cost the life of Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, who was travelling with his wife.

Passenger Jerry told the BBC it was the “worst day of his life.” He added: “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.

“Suddenly it stopped, and it was calm again. The staff did their best to tend to the injured people, there were a lot of them. Some of the staff were injured themselves, so they did a sterling job.

Officials entering the plane on the ground (AFP via Getty Images)

“I ended up in hospital and obviously, because of the situation, it was fairly chaotic. Eventually they told us we'd divert to Bangkok, which was a huge relief. We were going to my son's wedding, and that was supposed to be on Friday. If we continued our itinerary, it would mean five consecutive flights. We're not going to do that, we're going to go straight back. It's just unfortunate.”

Brit 'saw her insides' after being cut open by propeller on luxury diving trip

He added the incident meant he and his wife and daughter “could not stomach” another five flights. British Embassy staff visited the injured Singapore Airlines passengers in a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, last night.

Geoff Kitchen was killed in the tragedy (Social Media)

The state of the plane after it fell thousands of feet (X)

Mr Kitchen suffered a suspected heart attack on the flight, according to a spokesman for Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, where the plane was diverted to. In a Facebook post shared on Tuesday evening, Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in Bristol said: "It is with a heavy heart we learn of the devastating news of the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend Geoff Kitchen in the recent Singapore Air Incident.

"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 you respect their privacy."

Singapore Airlines said in a statement: “A Singapore Airlines team from Singapore has arrived in Bangkok to support our colleagues and the local authorities on the ground. We are providing all possible assistance to the passengers and crew on board SQ321, both at the hospital and the airport."

Antony Clements-Thrower