Passengers who were not buckled in during a Singapore Airlines flight hit by extreme turbulence last week were tossed up in the air as a result of rapid changes in gravitational force, according to a preliminary investigation by Singapore’s Transport Ministry.
A 73-old passenger died of a suspected heart attack and dozens others were injured in the chaotic May 21 incident, including some who were reportedly left with spinal cord damage. The Boeing 777, which had been on its way from London to Singapore carrying 211 passengers, made an emergency landing in Bangkok.
“The aircraft experienced a rapid change in G [gravitational force] ... this likely resulted in the occupants who were not belted up to become airborne” before crashing back down seconds later, the ministry said. The gravitational changes “resulted in an altitude drop of 178 feet” over the span of 4.6 seconds, the investigation found.
Twenty-six people are still hospitalized after the nightmare flight. It’s unclear what caused the turbulence, but the Federal Aviation Administration recorded 146 serious injuries caused by turbulence from 2009 to 2021.
