An ex-pilot has claimed that the deadly turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight in May was caused by “human error” that led the aircraft to encounter a thunderstorm.
Flight SQ321, with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, departed London Heathrow on 20 May and diverted to Bangkok after it hit severe turbulence 10 hours into the journey to Singapore.
A 73-year-old British man, Geoffrey Kitchen, died as a result of a suspected heart attack, while seven other people were left in critical condition and dozens more were taken to hospital.
Former Australian Air Force and Qantas pilot Richard Woodward has theorised that the crew made a “terrible miscalculation” based on satellite images of the area over Myanmar.
With 33 years of flying experience, Mr Woodward told 60 Minutes Australia: “With my background, I’m fairly certain that they had an encounter with or were very close to a thunderstorm.”
The aviation expert said that the airspace above Myanmar is an area “notorious for its thunderstorms” and flight SQ321 flew in a straight line directly for a building storm and lightning strikes “without a single deviation from the source”.
Initial findings by Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of “likely flying over an area of developing convective activity” led to reports that the Boeing 777-300ER encountered atmospheric phenomena Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) – a claim that Mr Woodward disputes.
“It’s very rare to have a clear air turbulence encounter in the tropics,” he told 60 Minutes Australia, adding that there is “compelling evidence” that what flight encountered was not CAT but a thunderstorm.
Mr Woodward said the multiple other aircraft seen on flight radars that took other routes in the minutes before the plunge show that the crew could have “seen the storms on their radar” and taken “evasive action”.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, said: “In the initial report into this awful event, there was one line that caught my eye – a reference to the plane ‘likely flying over an area of developing convective activity’.
“The investigators from the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau in Singapore will be pursuing this aspect – and whether an airline based in the tropics, with all the extreme weather that entails, should have been flying in that location at that time?”
A probe into the incident by the TSIB revealed passengers on Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321 endured 19 seconds of extreme turbulence that included a drop of 178 feet in just 4.6 seconds – representing a vertical speed of 26mph. They also suffered violent changes in vertical acceleration.
The preliminary report says: “An uncommanded increase in aircraft altitude, reaching a peak of 37,362 feet, was recorded. In response to this uncommanded altitude increase, the autopilot pitched the aircraft downwards to descend back to the selected altitude of 37,000 feet.”
The dive tossed people around the cabin, with some suffering head injuries from hitting the ceiling.
Following the fatal flight, dramatic images shared on social media showed oxygen masks and debris strewn across the seats while food and cutlery could be seen on the floor.
At the time, Singapore Airlines said in a statement that they encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar and had to declare a medical emergency.
The flight from London fell into an air pocket while cabin crew were serving breakfast, prompting the pilots to request an emergency landing, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn said.
“We are very sorry for the traumatic experience that everyone on board SQ321 went through,” CEO Goh Choon Phong said in a video shared on social media by the airline.
Emails offering $10,000 (£7,800) compensation to each passenger who sustained minor injuries were sent out on 10 June. The airline said it was open to discussing further compensation for those who suffered more serious injuries.
According to Kerry Jordan – paralysed during the incident after her spine snapped – and partner Keith Davis, the airline now says they need proof of hardship to up the couple’s compensation beyond $75,000 (£56,000).
Singapore Airlines told The Independent it has since adopted a “more cautious approach to managing turbulence in-flight” by halting meal services and getting cabin crew to buckle up.
Aviation lawyer Floyd Weissman said: “Singapore Air needs to do the right, moral, ethical thing and admit that it has some responsibility for this incident and then settle these cases.”
“I think part of their strategy is exhaust them enough and eventually, they’ll go away,” he added.
An SIA spokesperson said: “We are discussing the compensation details directly with the affected passengers or their appointed representatives. We are unable to provide more details due to confidentiality reasons.
“Passengers requiring additional assistance, or their appointed representatives, may reach out to us using the contact information we have provided, and we will respond promptly.”
Investigations are ongoing and the full report into the cause of what happened on Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 is expected to be delivered between 12 months and two years from now.
“We are fully cooperating with the relevant authorities in the investigation,” the airline added.
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