Investigation of a flight to Singapore found that severe loss of altitude caused injuries

Investigation of a flight to Singapore found that severe loss of altitude caused injuries

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SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Preliminary findings of an investigation into a Singapore Airlines flight hit by severe turbulence last week released on Wednesday show that a rapid change in gravity and a 54-metre (170 ft) change in altitude led to injuries.

A 73-year-old passenger died, presumably of a heart attack, and dozens were injured after London-Singapore flight SQ321 encountered sudden, extreme turbulence while flying over Myanmar, as the airline described it.

The May 21 Boeing 777-300ER flight with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board was diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing after the aircraft was hit by turbulence that sent passengers and crew flying around the cabin, throwing some against the ceiling.

“The aircraft experienced a rapid change in G-force (gravitational force) … This likely resulted in the occupants, who were not wearing seat belts, being ejected into the air,” Singapore’s Transport Ministry said in a statement.

“The vertical acceleration changed from minus 1.5 G to plus 1.5 G within 4 seconds. This probably caused the occupants who were in the air to fall back down,” it said, citing information from the flight data and the voice recorders in the cockpit.

“The rapid changes in G-forces over a period of 4.6 seconds resulted in a decrease in altitude of 54 m (178 feet), from 37,362 feet to 37,184 feet. This sequence of events was the likely cause of the injuries to the crew and passengers,” it said.

CHAOTIC SCENES

Shocked passengers described scenes of chaos in the minutes following the incident. The turbulence threw people into the air and then into the aisle. Many were left with bleeding and head injuries.

Photos of the cabin showed cracks in the ceiling panels, oxygen masks and panels hanging from the ceiling, and luggage scattered everywhere. One passenger said some people hit their heads on the lights above the seats, breaking the panels.

Singapore Airlines said it had taken note of the report and was cooperating fully with the investigation.

The airline said late Tuesday that 42 people who were on board the flight were still in Bangkok, including 26 passengers who were receiving medical treatment in hospital.

According to Thai doctors, among the patients initially admitted to hospital were patients with spinal cord injuries and some with brain and skull injuries.

The preliminary report stated that during the flight, an uncontrolled increase in altitude occurred due to slight vibrations, which caused the autopilot to steer the aircraft downward. The pilots noticed an increase in airspeed and responded by applying the airbrakes.

“While we were checking the airspeed, a pilot could be heard calling out that the fasten seatbelt sign had been turned on,” it said.

Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines announced on Wednesday that starting Thursday, passengers will be required to wear seat belts throughout the flight, even if the seat belt sign is not illuminated.

The company said this was not a mandatory requirement but a precautionary measure to ensure passenger safety.

The investigation team included investigators from Singapore and US representatives from Boeing, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Singapore’s Ministry of Transport said the investigation was ongoing.

(Reporting by Martin Petty and Xinghui Kok; Editing by John Mair and Raju Gopalakrishnan)