About three hours before landing in Singapore, passenger Dzafran Azmir felt the Boeing 777–300ER suddenly pitch upward before a sharp drop.
After regaining his composure, Azmir checked his seatbelt. His was fastened securely, but many other passengers did not have theirs on. The pilot had not issued a warning before the incident occurred.
“The drop was so severe that it threw all unbuckled passengers straight up to the ceiling. Many hit their heads, denting the luggage compartments, oxygen mask units, and ceiling lights,” recounted Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old Malaysian passenger. At that moment, some people were standing, some were in the restroom, and the flight crew was serving meals.
“The entire incident lasted less than 10 seconds. It happened so quickly that many people, especially those who were asleep, couldn’t react,” Azmir added. “My phone flew out of my hand. People fell over, many suffered spinal and head injuries. The flight crew and those in the restrooms were the worst off, with some unable to stand. Shoes were scattered everywhere in the cabin.”
Azmir was one of the 229 passengers on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, which experienced severe turbulence over Myanmar on May 21, resulting in one death and dozens of injuries. Singapore Airlines stated that the aircraft encountered “severe and sudden turbulence” at an altitude of 37,000 feet, ten hours after taking off from London, forcing the pilot to issue an emergency alert and divert to Bangkok.
Scene Inside Flight SQ321 After Turbulence Incident
Andrew Davies from London mentioned that the seatbelt sign was activated just before the drop. “Up until that point, the flight had been completely normal and very smooth,” he recalled.
Davies was watching a movie when the seatbelt sign came on, so he fastened his seatbelt. “Thank God, because right after that, it felt like hell broke loose. Many people were injured, with head wounds and bleeding ears. I heard a woman scream in pain. There was coffee and drinks splattered on the ceiling,” he described.
Following the incident, Davies noted that the flight crew did everything they could. Passengers with medical expertise also offered their assistance. “None of the injured passengers had their seatbelts fastened,” he emphasized.
Davies was seated near Geoffrey Kitchen, a 73-year-old British passenger who died, possibly due to a heart attack, after the turbulence. He also saw another passenger who was so severely injured that they had to lie on the floor for the remainder of the flight.
“I tried to help Mr. Kitchen, moving him from his seat to the floor where some medically trained passengers performed CPR for about 20 minutes,” he recounted.
Jerry, 68, mentioned that there was no warning before the sudden drop. “The plane hadn’t been shaking at all before that. In a split second, my wife and I hit our heads on the ceiling, and those who were standing were thrown about. My son was flung two rows forward, landing on the floor.”
Passengers Wait to Disembark After Flight SQ321 Lands in Thailand
Singapore Airlines did not specify the type of turbulence involved in the incident, but aviation experts suggest it was clear-air turbulence (CAT), considered the most dangerous for passenger aircraft.
CAT is the chaotic movement of air in clear weather conditions. It poses a significant challenge for many pilots because it can occur suddenly in good weather, making it hard to detect.
According to a 2021 study by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, turbulence-related accidents are the most common in aviation. One-third of the accidents recorded by the board involve air turbulence, causing serious injuries without damaging the aircraft.
Flight SQ321 landed in Bangkok at 3:45 PM. It took approximately 90 minutes to evacuate all passengers from the aircraft, many of whom had to be carried on stretchers.
Singapore Airlines transferred about 140 passengers who could continue their journey to another flight, which arrived at Changi Airport in Singapore early on May 22. Exhausted and relieved passengers reunited with waiting family members.
Chiew, a Singaporean, mentioned that his son was on the flight returning from a visit to his girlfriend in London. When his son texted about the emergency landing in Bangkok, Chiew and his wife were shocked and urged their son to immediately check for head injuries.
“The plane encountered turbulence while he was heading to the restroom. He said he was tossed around but fortunately only suffered bruises,” Chiew said. “But we were very worried because we didn’t know his condition. We’re going straight home so he can rest.”
After the turbulence incident, Josh, a British passenger, texted his mother, Allison Barker. “I don’t want to scare you, but I’m on a crazy flight that had to make an emergency landing. I love you all,” read part of Josh’s message.
Barker was terrified when she read the message but did not receive any further updates from her son for two hours. “It was truly scary. We didn’t know if he was alive or dead. Those were the longest two hours of my life,” she said.
