May 21, 2024, is a day many who boarded a Singapore Airlines flight will never forget. The flight took off from London and was headed to Singapore when it was hit by severe turbulence over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin.

The Boeing 777-300ER plane was transporting 211 passengers and 18 crew members, all of whom felt the plane take sharp dives and climbs several times as it tried to survive the turbulence. It left them all in distress, with many wounded and one dead.

Thanks to the pilot’s experience, the plane survived the turbulence. Afterward, the flight was promptly diverted to Bangkok, where it landed at Suvarnabhumi International Airport at exactly 3:45 p.m. local time. The diversion was a response to the events that transpired, with the pilot declaring a medical emergency so that those who were injured could receive immediate medical attention.

While most of those aboard the plane survived the incident, one 73-year-old British man was not so lucky, and he lost his life during the incident. Others who lived were left distressed, and a percentage of them were injured. In total, 71 people out of the 229 living souls aboard secured injuries, with six among them in severe condition.

As soon as the plane landed, the injured were moved to hospitals close to the airport, including Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital. According to the hospital, individuals brought in for treatment hailed from different countries, including Malaysia, the UK, New Zealand, Spain, the US, and Ireland. The hospitals’ swift medical intervention played a big part in stabilizing the wounded passengers.

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Many close to the situation have expressed their condolences in light of what happened. This includes the Singapore President, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who confessed that while they do not have the details of those affected, all government ministries and agencies are doing all they can to provide support to the passengers and their families.

Airplane accidents are no joke, and the government of Singapore has opened an investigation into the incident in hopes of learning more and determining what can be done to prevent it from happening again. Singapore’s Ministry of Transport is in charge of the investigation and will work with Thai authorities to figure out exactly what caused the turbulence.

A Flight tracking site named FlightRadar24 has data that shows how the plane reacted to the turbulence. There were sudden altitude changes, sharp dips, and climbs as the plane tried to stabilize while the turbulence lasted about 90 seconds.

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Turbulence hitting a plane is not an uncommon incident. One happened back in December 2022 on a Hawaiian Airlines flight, leaving over 30 people injured. The plane took off from Arizona and headed to Honolulu when it was hit by severe turbulence, which was not unlike the one that happened recently. Sadly, we may expect more of this as some studies claim turbulence incidents will increase worldwide between 2050 and 2080, especially along busy flight routes. Yet another proof that planes that use these routes need to be constantly updated with the safest upgrades.

Singapore Airlines has always had a good safety track record. In fact, prior to this tragic event, the last fatal accident the airline had was in October 2000, when flight SQ006 crashed in Taiwan, killing 83 people. The latest tragedy is a reminder of how crucial ongoing safety protocols are in protecting passengers.

According to those present in the plane, the turbulence was the most scary one they had ever experienced. Many had their seatbelts fastened, but even that was not enough to prevent them from being tossed around like ragdolls. There is little doubt that things could have turned out much worse if they had not used their seatbelts.

Singapore Airlines has not had to deal with such an event in a long time, but it is on top of the matter. In an empathetic statement, the airline apologized for the traumatic experience of the passengers and crew. It’s also using its Facebook page to provide resources for those seeking to reconnect with their loved ones.

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Boeing, the company that manufactured the airplane, has also offered its support in light of the tragedy. It has empathized with the flight passengers and crew and will assist in the investigation to ensure all safety protocols were adhered to.

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