A British man died after severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore triggered a fatal cardiac arrest, an inquest in England has heard.
Geoff Kitchen, 73, of Thornbury in south Gloucestershire, was travelling with his wife Linda when flight SQ321 encountered extreme turbulence over south-western Myanmar on 21 May 2024. The Boeing 777 was diverted to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, where he was confirmed dead.
Assistant coroner for Avon Dr Peter Harrowing recorded a narrative conclusion at Wednesday's hearing, 23 September 2026. He said Mr Kitchen died from cardiac failure after the physiological effects of the turbulence precipitated a cardiac arrest.
Mr Kitchen had a history of coronary artery disease and had undergone surgery to fit stents in his right coronary artery in April 2019. A review later that year found he had returned to "normal exercise capacity".
Turbulence struck during six-week holiday
The couple had been on the first leg of a six-week trip to Singapore, Indonesia and Australia when the aircraft was hit.
Mr Kitchen was seated beside his wife when he was thrown from his seat and landed on another passenger. Fellow travellers gave him CPR.
Dr Harrowing said: "On the morning of 21 May 2024, Geoff Kitchen, who had a history of coronary artery disease, was a passenger on a commercial flight from London to Singapore.
"It encountered severe turbulence. Mr Kitchen was thrown from his seat and landed on an adjacent passenger. He was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation."
A post-mortem examination in Bristol found he died from cardiac failure caused by coronary artery atheroma and the physiological effects of airplane turbulence.
The aircraft was cruising at 37,000ft when it encountered severe turbulence at 7.49am, according to a report into the incident. It stabilised at 7.53am, a Mayday call was made at 8.01am and the aircraft landed in Bangkok at 8.45am.
Wife suffered spinal fractures
Linda Kitchen, 74, said she had been wearing her seatbelt when the plane suddenly plunged. She told the hearing that her husband landed on her, leaving her trapped and causing injuries to her back.
"I carried on screaming. Eventually, two passengers lifted my husband off me. He was unconscious. I was in a lot of pain," she said.
Mrs Kitchen, who was bleeding heavily from a head wound, was moved across the aisle. She said passengers continued CPR on her husband, but she was not told that he had died until two days later.
She suffered serious injuries including spinal fractures, spent 10 days in hospital and was airlifted back to Bristol. The incident left 56 people seriously injured and 23 with minor injuries.
Legal claim against airline
Mrs Kitchen has instructed Irwin Mitchell, which has begun High Court proceedings seeking damages from Singapore Airlines.
In a statement through the firm, she described her husband's death as "absolutely devastating". Mr Kitchen is survived by the couple's two children, aged 48 and 45, and four grandchildren.
Pictures courtesy of Daily Mail
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25 September 2026
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