Turbulence incident: Singapore Airlines flight dropped 6,000 feet in just five minutes!

PTC Web Desk: A Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore, which experienced severe turbulence on Tuesday, plummeted 6,000 feet in just five minutes. One passenger dies in the incident while 30 others were injured. The aircraft had to make an  emergency landing in Bangkok.

As per data retrieved through FlightRadar 24, the Singapore Airlines flight aircraft descended sharply from an altitude of approximately 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within a five-minute span as it was crossing the Andaman Sea near Thailand. At the time, the flight had been airborne for about 11 hours since departing from London.

As per Reuters, Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on board, was reported as saying by the news agency that, “Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelts was launched immediately into the ceiling.” 

Visuals from inside the aircraft captured the sheer panic and horror. Overhead bins were dented, blankets and miscellaneous items were scattered across the floor, and masks and light and fan panels were seen hanging from the ceiling.

Boeing 777-300ER, with 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was en route to Singapore..

In a statement, Singapore Airlines confirmed the fatality and the injuries. “Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on 20 May 2024, encountered severe turbulence en-route. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok and landed at 1545hrs local time on 21 May 2024. We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER,” the statement read.