One dead and at least 71 injured after severe turbulence hits Singapore Airlines flight

One dead and at least 71 injured after severe turbulence hits Singapore Airlines flight

One person died and 30 people were injured aboard a Singapore Airlines flight that was hit by severe turbulence and forced to land in Thailand, the carrier said Tuesday.

Singapore Airlines Flight 321 encountered “sudden, severe turbulence” about 10 hours into a Singapore-bound flight from London Heathrow, the airline said. The plane, a Boeing 777-300ER, was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members.

Then, about nine or 10 hours into the roughly 13-hour flight, he was watching a movie when he saw the seat belt sign light up – so he put his seat belt on. “Thank goodness I did because within moments of doing that, all hell broke loose,” he told CNN.

“The plane just felt like it dropped. It probably only lasted a few seconds, but I remember vividly seeing shoes and iPads and iPhones and cushions and blankets and cutlery and plates and cups flying through the air and crashing to the ceiling. The gentleman next to me had a cup of coffee, which went straight all over me and up to the ceiling,” Davies said.

Images from the plane afterward show the cabin in disarray, with papers, cups and water pitchers scattered on the floor, and ceiling panels and piping hanging loose