One dead, 30 injured in Singapore Airlines emergency landing

[rwill]

Sounds like they were lucky to make it back to the ground with one article saying there was external damage on one of the wings.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, Puccini said:

What would an employee or volunteer of the Poh Teck Tung Foundation or the Sawang Boriboon Foundation do in in an aeroplane that did an emergency landing at BKK (Suvarnabhumi airport)? This was not a road traffic accident.

They would do what they're trained to do, save lives and treat injuries.

[simon43]

5 hours ago, MangoKorat said:

Couldn't agree more.

 

The BBC are reporting a passenger as saying that there was no warning before the plane hit sudden turbulence.

 

A British man who was traveling with his family on the flight tells me how the turbulence began.

“It was probably 10 hours in the flight, so there were people walking around. And there was no sign to put the seat belts on," he says.

"There was no turbulence prior to that. It went from no turbulence to this one turbulence. No plane shaking at all and then I was hitting the roof. All of a sudden, I was up like that.

" My son was thrown down on the floor two rows behind me. I heard that there was a guy hitting the roof in the toilet and he was injured quite badly, too."

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-69044396

 

On the BBC news they've just said that the plane dropped around 6000 feet over Myanmar in just a few minutes. The passengers and crew must have been terrified.

The guy in the toilet probably sh*t himself.. oh wait...!

[Tug]

Thank god it dident bend the plane so it could still fly,as a general principle when I’m traveling I always keep the seatbelt on.rip to the dead guy and condolences to his loved ones 

[chinajohn69]

At the moment we ALL speculate, as to WHAT happened but ALL are saying it happened so quickly, let us wait for the OFFICIAL reports, and our condolences must now be for the confirmed TWO persons who have died and their families. and hope all others get well soon. and home to their families.

[Georgealbert]

Singapore Airline update 4, this morning.

[IAMHERE]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

very strange the pilots were not aware of impending turbulence and turned the seatbelt sign on !!!

I didn't read that in the article, perhaps they did and passengers knew better or were asleep. (a bit of sarcasm there at the end).

[RobU]

10 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

 

how many people are un-buckled to go to the loo at any given time ?

I suspect that there was no warning of the turbulence and the aircraft unexpectedly hit an air pocket and dropped sharply. How many people unbuckle in preparation to go to the loo or to stand up and walk around as recommended to prevent deep vein thrombosis during a long haul flight at any given time? The number of people injured is consistent with that proportion of the passengers.

[NemoH]

1 hour ago, IgboChief said:

Kudos and compliments to the captain who stabilized the plane and landed it safely! Kudos and compliments to the crew, who took injuries and still had to manage the cabin and the guests! Having Platinum status on One World, I say: you are all (my) heroes!

Too soon for this. We don’t know if they could have been avoided the turbulence.

[RobU]

55 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

When the signal from the pilot says buckle up... it's best to do so.

There was no signal from the pilot the air pocket they hit was totally unexpected 

[Shocked farang]

"

's also believed that the deceased passenger might have sustained fatal injuries due to not buckling the seatbelt during landing." 

Needless to comment on this, but I try to keep my seat belt bucked for most of the flight, no matter what the lights indicate. 

[HK MacPhooey]

12 hours ago, dinsdale said:

"A Singapore Airlines flight had to make a sudden landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok due to harsh weather; sadly, one passenger died and 30 others got injured. The air traffic control team at the airport got an emergency signal from the London-Singapore flight at 4 pm on May 21.

 

As per a Facebook page called Pilot Notebook, severe weather encountered by the Singapore Airlines plane after it left London for Changi Airport led it to land at Suvarnabhumi Airport instead. Unfortunately, this emergency landing led to injuries of 30 passengers and the death of one. The flight carried 211 passengers along with 18 cabin crew.

 

The incident may have been caused by unexpected air turbulence over the Indian Ocean, though the official reason remains unconfirmed. It's also believed that the deceased passenger might have sustained fatal injuries due to not buckling the seatbelt during landing."
 

From what I have read elsewhere this is completely incorrect. The death and injuries occured during flight due to severe turbulance. This article states it was "during landing" 100% wrong. Once again the "journalistic standards" on this site are up to their usual high levels. Then goes on to say the incident happened over the Indian ocean. For sure  though the death and the injuries are certainly down to not being belted up. 

The death is suspected as being due to cardiac arrest of a 75 year old male passenger. It’s possible that the injuries were caused by pax and crew in the aisles and galleys as breakfast was about to be served - maybe even galley carts not secured due to the meal service preparation.

[Ralf001]

9 minutes ago, RobU said:

There was no signal from the pilot the air pocket they hit was totally unexpected 

you were on the flight ?

[Georgealbert]

The Singapore Airlines Crisis Management Team, seems to be do a good job so far.

 

4 updates issued to keep media and relatives informed.

 

Contact numbers issued and communication team to answer enquiries, in place.

 

Forward emergency response team already deployed, flown to and available in Bangkok.

 

Passengers that wanted, have been transported to Singapore, with transport and accommodation arranged.

 

Arrangement being sorted for transit passengers to get other flights.

 

Passengers at Singapore and anyone meeting them have been keep away from the media.

 

Support and counseling teams working with all involved.

 

Very transparent and proactive, which is not often seen, after incidents.

[Ralf001]

7 minutes ago, HK MacPhooey said:

The death is suspected as being due to cardiac arrest of a 75 year old male passenger. It’s possible that the injuries were caused by pax and crew in the aisles and galleys as breakfast was about to be served - maybe even galley carts not secured due to the meal service preparation.

 

They serve breakfast at 4pm ?

[dinsdale]

6 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

Another source quoted a passenger saying that the seatbelt sign was on.

 

https://news.sky.com/story/images-show-inside-of-singapore-airlines-plane-after-one-killed-in-turbulence-13140773

 

 

 

From the 2nd quote it would seem (maybe) the seatbelt sign came on only when it was too late. Clear air turbulence can go undetected until you hit it it.

[TheTightArseTraveller]

I had a similar experience (coincidentally with SA) on a flight MEL-SIN in 2000 on our approach to Singapore.

 

We dropped 1000 vertical metres in what felt like 2 seconds.  Food carts went everywhere, crew and unbuckled passengers slammed into the overhead lockers.  No serious injuries that I knew of luckily.

 

The tropical areas can have pockets of air that cause this- hence the "keep your seat belt on" line.

 

Edited May 22 by TheTightArseTraveller
Incorrect info

[Ralf001]

5 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

From the 2nd quote it would seem (maybe) the seatbelt sign came on only when it was too late. Clear air turbulence can go undetected until you hit it it.

weather has been pretty ordinary around these parts of late..... was it clear air turbulance ?

[Ralf001]

1 minute ago, TheTightArseTraveller said:

I had a similar experience (coincidentally with SA) on a flight MEL-SIN in 2000 on our approach to Singapore.

 

We dropped 1000 vertical metres in what felt like 2 seconds.  Food carts went everywhere, crew and unbuckled passengers slammed into the overhead lockers.  No serious injuries that I knew of luckily.

 

The tropical areas can have pockets of air that cause this- hence the "keep your seat belt on" line.

 

A 1km drop is impressive.

 

[dinsdale]

3 hours ago, Puccini said:

 

What would an employee or volunteer of the Poh Teck Tung Foundation or the Sawang Boriboon Foundation do in in an aeroplane that did an emergency landing at BKK (Suvarnabhumi airport)? This was not a road traffic accident.

They are medical emergency responders so I guess they were responding to a medical emergency. If you think they only exist for road crashes (admittedly probably a large % of their of their responses) then you are very mistaken.

[HK MacPhooey]

10 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

It is for the family of the deceased passenger!

This relates to the patched in article about the Iranian helicopter crash - definitely not a tragedy and disappointing that the Thai government saw fit to drop the flags to half mast at Government House.

[HK MacPhooey]

10 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Gets the old sphincter going doesn't it. I had two fly arounds on a DC 10 landing in Mumbai, India on the edge of a cyclone. 1st time in we broke through the low cloud at a very, very disturbing angle of approach. 2nd time wind sheer. 3rd time lucky but it was a bit of a hard landing. Cabin crew looked terrified. I had a very quick word with the co-pilot when disembarking. I asked him if we were lucky. His answer was yes. He looked shaken as did the crew and the passengers. Never forget that one that's for sure.

If it was a DC10 you were probably landing in Bombay

[dinsdale]

2 hours ago, smedly said:

when cruising it doesn't have be restrictive or tight just enough to stop you leaving the seat, hardly noticeable you have it buckled 

 

very strange the pilots were not aware of impending turbulence and turned the seatbelt sign on !!!

Not all turbulence will be detected. This would seem to be the case here.

[Georgealbert]

Singapore Update 5, and video message from CEO.

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/nt6co4zu8T6CJQov/?mibextid=WC7FNe

[dinsdale]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

When the signal from the pilot says buckle up... it's best to do so.

True but it would seem that it was too late. Pretty hard to buckle up when your flying into the overhead luggage compartments or the roof of the cabin or the roof of the toilet.

[Sig]

I've never understood why people take their seat belts off in airplanes. I suppose it is ignorance, but it seems like very simple common sense to keep belted up unless needing to go to the toilet. I think the "fasten seat belts" indicator is actually a disservice to passengers. It makes people who don't have common sense, feel safe to be seated without their seat belts on unless otherwise instructed. Seat belts fastened should be the norm while flying and no need for a sign only during certain times. Why treat it differently than a car? Turbulence is a very well-known factor that is not always predictable.

[wensiensheng]

According to the BBC the passenger who died did so from a heart attack.

 

which has the better quality reporting? This site or the BBC?

[digbeth]

4 hours ago, Puccini said:

 

What would an employee or volunteer of the Poh Teck Tung Foundation or the Sawang Boriboon Foundation do in in an aeroplane that did an emergency landing at BKK (Suvarnabhumi airport)? This was not a road traffic accident.

 

The initial external shots seem to show ambulance from BDMS (Bangkok Hospital) which has clinic at the airport

They wouldn't open the airside gate to volunteer service who's not trained on how to drive on the tarmac and has appropriate radio 

 

but making passengers with minor cuts walk on their own on the jetway or even use the airport transfer bus is probably not a good look or experience after a very traumatic experience

 

understandable that with mass casualty event, the need for ambulance transport to the hospital might overwhelm the local ambulance 

Ruamkatanyu headquater is just south of the airport

 

Sawang Boriboon is a Pattaya only foundation, there are other Sawang- foundations in other provinces but not in Pattaya

 

the big volunteer foundations in Bangkok are Poh Tek Tung and Ruamkatanyu 

 

 

[Ralf001]

2 minutes ago, RobU said:

Were you? Read the other articles that this was plagiarized from

 

Errr. I did not post in a manner indicating first hand knowledge... so what do you reckon ?

[dinsdale]

16 minutes ago, HK MacPhooey said:

If it was a DC10 you were probably landing in Bombay

Mumbai is Bombay but thanks, made me look up the new names. As for telling me where I landed that's just incredibly arogant. I think I know where I landed thank you very much and it wasn't Mumbai previously Bombay as I sateted. My mistake. It was Chenai previously Madras and it was a DC 10. Indeed it was a Malaysian Airlines DC 10.