8 important facts about the turbulence incident at Singapore Airlines

This week, on Tuesday 21 May, Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence while flying over Myanmar.

Tragically, the incident was so serious that one passenger was killed and at least 30 others were injured.

Passengers on the flight described their terrifying experience. Some said they saw people doing somersaults and others being thrown against the ceiling by the violent shaking of the plane.

Singapore Airlines responded quickly, adjusting flight routes and changing safety protocols. The airline has also announced that it will conduct a thorough investigation.

How exactly did this happen and what can be done to prevent similar scenarios in the future? Here is a summary of some of the key information that came to light in the days following the severe turbulence incident.

1. What happened to flight SQ321?

Reports since the incident say the seatbelt sign came on just moments before severe turbulence set in. For many, it was too late.

Altitude data from FlightRadar24 shows that the aircraft pitched violently during the worst of the turbulence. Flight SQ 321 was still about three hours from its destination at the time of the incident.

2. The consequences of the incident involving flight SQ321

As the plane stabilized, the flight was diverted to Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, after the pilot declared a medical emergency. Images from the plane after landing showed luggage scattered on the floor and dents where passengers had hit the ceiling.

“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. A total of 211 passengers and 18 crew members were on board,” Singapore Airlines said in a statement on social media.

According to the latest information, the director of Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, Dr. Adinun Kittiratanapaibool, said that over 20 people on board the flight were being treated for spinal injuries.

3. What is Singapore Airlines’ safety record?

Singapore Airlines is one of the world’s leading airlines when it comes to safety. The company has always been one of the safest airlines in the world. In January this year, the aviation safety agency AirlineRatings ranked Singapore Airlines as the 13th safest airline out of 385 airlines. The previous year, it was the fifth safest.

Singapore Airlines SQ321 was flying on board a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Boeing has had several high-profile safety incidents in recent years. For example, earlier this year, a panel burst mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines flight. However, there is no evidence that the SQ321 incident was caused by a malfunction of the aircraft.

4. Is severe turbulence common?

Such incidents are very rare. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 163 people were seriously injured by turbulence between 2009 and 2022. That’s an average of about 12 people per year. That’s a tiny number compared to the billions of people who fly every year.

Deaths from severe turbulence are even rarer. The death of passenger Geoff Kitchen on flight SQ321 was reportedly due to a heart attack, and the passenger had a pre-existing heart condition. It was the first death from severe turbulence since 2011.

5. How did Singapore Airlines react?

A Reuters A report revealed that Singapore Airlines has changed its seatbelt rules in response to the May 21 incident. The airline will no longer serve hot drinks or meals while the fasten seatbelt sign is illuminated, the airline said in a statement to Singapore broadcaster Channel News Asia.

According to the same report, Singapore Airlines has also changed at least one flight route. Tracking data shows that the airline’s Singapore-London service has flown twice since the incident. Both times, it did not fly over the part of Myanmar where the incident occurred. Instead, it flew over the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

6. How can such incidents be prevented?

Singapore Airlines has stated that it will continue to review its safety processes. A team of investigators from Singapore and the USA has also traveled to Thailand to investigate the causes of Tuesday’s incident. The USA is responsible because flight SQ321 was operated by a plane from the US aerospace company Boeing.

The Singapore Airlines incident reminds individual passengers that it is best to always wear a seatbelt when seated, even when the seatbelt sign is off.

Normally, pilots warn each other about turbulence in the air via air traffic control. However, turbulence in clear air can cause problems because it can occur at any time without visual cues, for example during a storm.

According to the FAA, turbulence in clear air is “particularly problematic because it often occurs unexpectedly and there are often no visual cues to warn pilots of the danger.”

7. Was climate change a factor?

Some scientists believe that turbulence is becoming more common due to climate change. Clear-air turbulence, which is particularly problematic, is reportedly increasing more than any other type of turbulence.

In a recent study by a team at the University of Reading, researchers found that severe clear-air turbulence in the North Atlantic increased by 55 percent between 1979 and 2020. They explained that this is consistent with the impact of climate change on jet streams.

Clear air turbulence occurs in jet streams where hot and cold air collide. Details of the Singapore Airlines incident are still emerging and it is currently unclear whether it was caused by clear air turbulence or thunderstorms. However, weather forecasts indicate that thunderstorms were nearby at the time of the incident.

8. Can new technologies eliminate turbulence?

Modern aircraft handle turbulence much better than planes of the past, and the technology could help the commercial aviation industry adapt in the future too. In fact, the company Turbulence Solutions claims its technology could one day eliminate turbulence forever.

In an interview with IE last year, Andras Galffy, CEO of Turbulence Solutions, said his company aims to make the “entire aviation industry turbulence-free.” Turbulence Solutions uses sensors on the front of aircraft wings to anticipate turbulence and dynamically adjust the wings.

“In order to counteract the effects at the right moment,” says Galffy, “we measure the turbulence a few milliseconds in front of the aircraft – that is, we make the turbulence visible so that we are not surprised by its effects and can react accordingly.”

Turbulence Solutions aims to deploy its technology in private jets by 2028 and in commercial aircraft by around 2030. It remains to be seen whether the technology could prevent an incident as violent as the one on May 21.