Singapore Airlines flight hit by deadly turbulence dropped 54 metres in less than five seconds: Report

Preliminary findings of the investigation, released on Wednesday (May 29), into a Singapore Airlines flight which was hit by deadly turbulence last week, showed that the aircraft witnessed a rapid change in gravitational force and a 54-metre altitude drop which may have caused injuries.

What did the report say?

According to a report by Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB), the rapid changes in gravitational force (G) and the altitude drop which took place over 4.6 seconds may have caused injuries to those who were not wearing their seatbelts.

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To put this number into perspective, the height of Italy’s iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa is around 57 metres and the aircraft’s altitude dropped 54 metres in less than five seconds.

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“The aircraft experienced a rapid change in G…This likely resulted in the occupants who were not belted up to become airborne,” said the TSIB, in a statement.

“The vertical acceleration changed from negative 1.5G to positive 1.5G within 4 seconds. This likely resulted in the occupants who were airborne to fall back down,” it added.

Dozens of passengers and crew members on board the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, flying from London, United Kingdom to Singapore suffered skull, brain and spinal injuries due to the incident.

While a 73-year-old British passenger on board the flight reportedly died of a suspected heart attack.

On May 21, the Singapore-bound flight with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board a Boeing 777-300ER plane encountered what the airline described as sudden, extreme turbulence while flying over Myanmar and diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing.

The severe turbulence flung passengers and crew around the cabin, some were even slammed into the ceiling.

“The rapid changes in G over the 4.6 seconds duration resulted in an altitude drop of 178 ft (54 m), from 37,362 ft to 37,184 ft. This sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers,” said the Singapore transport ministry.

Singapore Airlines acknowledged the latest report and said it is fully cooperating with the investigation team which comprised Singaporean investigators, and American representatives from Boeing, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

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According to the preliminary report, the aircraft witnessed slight vibrations after which there was an uncommanded increase in altitude which led to the autopilot pitching the aircraft downwards.

This prompted the pilots, experiencing an increase in airspeed, to respond by applying speed brakes.

“While managing the airspeed...it was heard that a pilot called out that the fasten seat belt sign had been switched on,” said the report.

Over 40 people still under treatment

The airline, on late Tuesday (May 28) said 42 people, including 26 passengers, were still in Bangkok receiving medical treatment in hospital.

Some 43 patients in three different hospitals in the Thai capital are still undergoing treatment, said Bangkok’s Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in a statement on Saturday (May 25).

Seven – three Australians, two Malaysians, one British and one New Zealander – of the 34 patients at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital are in intensive care, said the hospital.

(With inputs from agencies)