Update 12 Jun 2024: SIA offers compensation to passengers of turbulence-hit SQ321; US$10k for those with minor injuries
SIA said it will also provide a full refund of the airfare to all passengers who were on the flight. FOTO REUTERS, ST FILE
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has sent out offers of compensation to passengers on board the turbulence-hit SQ321, with those who suffered minor injuries being offered US$10,000 (S$13,500).
The national carrier said in a Facebook post on June 11 that those who had more serious injuries were invited to discuss compensation offers that would “meet their specific circumstances”. It added that it has offered US$25,000 as an advance payment for passengers who suffered serious injuries that require long-term medical care and are requesting financial help.
The payment will address their immediate needs and be part of the final compensation they receive. Besides compensation, SIA said it will also provide a full refund of the airfare to all passengers who were on the flight, which experienced “sudden extreme turbulence” over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar on May 21 as the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft made its way to Singapore from London.
Singapore Airlines drops meal service when seatbelt sign on after deadly turbulence
Singapore Airlines aircraft for flight SQ321 is parked on the tarmac after an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2024. REUTERS
Singapore Airlines opens new tab has changed its in-flight seatbelt rules and altered at least one flight route after a turbulence incident this week killed one person and left dozens critically injured, according to the airline and flight data. The airline is adopting a more cautious approach to turbulence, including not serving hot drinks or meals when the seatbelt sign is on, it said in a statement to Singapore broadcaster Channel News Asia.
"SIA will continue to review our processes, as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance," it said. The airline did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The SQ321 London-Singapore flight on a Boeing opens new tab 777-300ER plane carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing on Tuesday after the plane was buffeted by turbulence that flung passengers and crew around the cabin, slamming some into the ceiling.
Singapore investigators have started examining data obtained from the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, Singapore Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said on Friday. The daily London to Singapore route SQ321 has completed two flights since the incident and has not flown over the part of Myanmar where the sudden turbulence occurred about three hours before scheduled landing. The flight time is about the same, tracking data show. They flew instead over the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, route data from flight tracker FlightRadar 24 showed.
44 people remain hospitalised in Bangkok
Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said 34 patients from Flight SQ321 remained on its premises as at noon on May 25. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
A total of 44 people injured during severe air turbulence on Singapore Airlines’ Flight SQ321 on May 21 remain hospitalised, said Singapore Airlines in a Facebook post on May 25. Its latest update at about 8.30pm that day said 43 passengers and one crew member are being treated in Bangkok hospitals. Earlier in the day, the Bangkok hospital treating most of the passengers said that 43 passengers remain in hospital.
According to an update from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, 34 passengers remain on its premises as at noon on May 25. Another seven are at Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital and two are at Bangkok Hospital. The 34 at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital – comprising 15 men and 19 women – hail from countries such as Australia, Britain, Malaysia and the Philippines. Seven of them were in the intensive care unit (ICU).
The hospital added that two patients have been discharged from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, while two patients transferred from Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital to Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital to join their hospitalised relatives. It was reported on May 24 that a Singaporean who was previously in the ICU at a Bangkok hospital has been discharged.
The 13hr flight of SIA SQ321 Flight from London to Singapore on 21 May 2024 had 211 passengers and 18 crew members. After 10 hours in flight over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar, it was suddenly hit by severe turbulence and dropped 6,000ft from a height of 37,000ft.
Those not wearing their seat belts were flung up and hit their heads on the cabin ceiling incurring head and spinal injuries. The flight was rediverted in an emergency to Bangkok Airport. 53 passengers and 1 crew member were injured, 7 were serious and were treated in Bangkok Hospitals. 1 British passenger died of heart attack. 131 passengers and 12 crew members had since returned to Singapore.
This is why we should always keep our seat belts on when seated.
One dead, dozens injured after Singapore Airlines flight from London hit by severe turbulence
The interior of Flight SQ321 after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on May 21
One passenger died and dozens were injured when an SIA flight heading to Singapore from London’s Heathrow Airport encountered severe turbulence.
In a Facebook post on May 21, Singapore Airlines (SIA) said the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft experienced “sudden extreme turbulence” over the Irrawaddy Basin about 10 hours after departing from London. The pilot declared a medical emergency and landed at Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3.45pm (4.45pm Singapore time).
The airline said 18 passengers have been hospitalised, with another 12 receiving treatment for their injuries in hospitals. The remaining passengers and crew were examined and treated at the airport, it added. The 211 passengers on Flight SQ321 included 41 Singaporeans, with the remaining 170 from countries such as Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Britain. There were 18 crew members on board.
Singapore Airlines Flight 321
On 21 May 2024, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-312ER operating as Flight 321 flying a regularly scheduled passenger flight from London Heathrow Airport to Singapore Changi Airport carrying 229 occupants (211 passengers and 18 crew members) on board encountered severe turbulence over Myanmar, resulting in one death and seventy-one injuries. The aircraft subsequently made an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. It was Singapore Airlines' first fatal aviation accident since the crash of Flight 006 in 2000.
The plane involved was a 16-year-old Boeing 777-312ER featuring a Star Alliance livery, registered as 9V-SWM, with manufacturer serial number 34578 and line number 701. The aircraft was delivered to Singapore Airlines in 2008. The Boeing 777-312ER encountered severe clear-air turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar, around 360 nautical miles (667 km; 414 mi) from Bangkok. The plane fell into a vertical draft while the cabin crew were serving breakfast. When the plane next encountered the turbulence, the passengers and objects were thrown into the air. Some passengers claim the "fasten seat belt" sign was turned on too late to prevent injuries. Tracking data showed that the aircraft was at an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,278 m) at the time of the encounter. Singapore Airlines said the aircraft descended 6,000 feet (1,829 m) within three minutes although this was not a fall but a controlled descent.
One British passenger died and 71 others were injured, with 20 of them in intensive care. The sole fatality was a 73-year-old British man travelling with his wife, who was hospitalised. The man was suffering from a heart condition and died from a suspected heart attack. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry said nine of its citizens, including a crew member, were injured, one of them critically, while the Philippine embassy confirmed that five of its nationals were injured. At least six Britons, three Australians, two Singaporeans and one citizen from Hong Kong and New Zealand respectively were also injured. Images show that the oxygen masks were hanging after parts of the aircraft's interior were damaged. The flight was diverted to Bangkok, where it made an emergency landing at 15:45 local time. Singapore Airlines dispatched a relief flight which then carried 131 passengers and 12 crew members to Singapore the next morning.
Turbulence: What causes it and how can you stay safe?
A Singapore Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok on May 21 after encountering sudden, extreme turbulence, which resulted in one death and dozens of passengers injured.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. While it is not uncommon to encounter in-flight turbulence, such episodes can have severe consequences.
Here is what you need to know about turbulence.
What causes turbulence and is climate change making it worse?
Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 experienced sudden, severe turbulence on May 21 about 10 hours after leaving London
A Singapore Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok on May 21 after
encountering sudden, extreme turbulence, which resulted in one death and dozens of passengers injured. The circumstances surrounding the incident on SQ321 are under investigation, and one expert said it was one of the worst he has seen in his 30 years in the industry.
While it is not uncommon to encounter in-flight turbulence, such episodes can have severe consequences. Between 2009 and 2022, America’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recorded that 163 passengers and crew members were seriously injured by turbulence on aircraft registered in the United States.
Here is what you need to know about turbulence:
- What is turbulence? - Professor of urban climatology Matthias Roth described atmospheric turbulence as irregular, chaotic and unpredictable motions in the airflow. Turbulence can be caused by storms, mountains, weather fronts and strong air currents such as jet streams, said Dr Roth, who is from the department of geography at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
- How common are injuries related to turbulence? - America’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that more than a third of all airline incidents in the US from 2009 to 2018 were related to turbulence, most of which resulted in one or more serious injuries but no damage to the plane. Fatalities from encountering turbulence in flight are rare. None was captured by the FAA between 2009 and 2022.
- Is turbulence increasing due to climate change? - In a study published in 2023, Dr Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading, said severe clear air turbulence over the North Atlantic Ocean had increased by more than 50 per cent from 1979 to 2020. Dr Roth from NUS said the increase in clear air turbulence had to do with climate change, which alters the jet stream.
- How can passengers keep themselves safe? - Data from the NTSB, which is the agency for civil transportation accident investigations in the US, showed that from 2009 to 2018, the most commonly reported activity for passengers who were injured in a turbulence-related accident was when they were using, waiting for or walking to or from the toilet. The next most commonly cited activity was while they were seated without their seat belts. Experts said passengers should keep their seat belts fastened at all times.
What causes air turbulence and is the climate crisis making it worse?
While fatalities are rare, severe turbulence is up 55% since 1979 – with the climate crisis thought to be a factor. The death of a British passenger and injuries to others on a Singapore Airlines passenger flight from London has underlined the potential dangers of turbulence. But what causes turbulence, how much risk does it pose – and is the climate crisis making it worse?
On international scheduled flights, fatalities directly caused by turbulence are incredibly rare. Pilots are usually able to give advance warning of most types of turbulence and ensure all on board are strapped in. On smaller private planes or business jets, serious injuries or deaths have been more frequent, with the US National Transport Safety Board recording more than 100 injuries and dozens of deaths in just over a decade on domestic flights, although fatalities have mostly occurred when turbulence has caused the planes to crash. On bigger planes, turbulence risks head or other injuries to people who could be thrown around the cabin if not strapped in or be struck by flying debris – not least during a trolley service. Crew are at particular risk and have the biggest number of injuries.
What is turbulence and how can planes avoid it? Broadly, it is caused by the meeting of air at different temperatures, pressure or velocity, where different wind patterns collide – a bit like boats suddenly encountering choppy waters. While some weather and geographical conditions, such as thunderstorms, mountain ranges and the appearance of certain clouds, can signal turbulence ahead, there is also “clear-air turbulence”, which can take plane pilots by surprise and occur without warning. Stuart Fox, director of flight and technical operations at the global airline body Iata, says forecasts showing incoming weather fronts or the air flow over mountains could demonstrate a higher probability of clear-air turbulence. “But you can’t see it,” he says. “Airflow strength and direction can change rapidly, and the forecasts can only indicate the likelihood.” Such wind shears can knock planes off course, lose altitude quickly or lurch violently. Pilots can now be steered by reports from aircraft ahead. Iata hosts a platform used by a number of rival carriers to exchange data, Fox says: “It gives immediate information for people who could be flying into the same turbulence.”
What causes turbulence and how often is it as severe as the Singapore Airlines flight?
One passenger died of a heart attack and 30 more were injured when Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 hit severe turbulence early on Wednesday morning. The plane was travelling from London to Singapore but had to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. While turbulence is common in air travel, incidents like this with severe turbulence are rare.
The plane hit an air pocket while the cabin crew was serving breakfast, Suvarnabhumi Airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn told a press conference. It experienced what's been classed as "severe turbulence" while it was over southern Myanmar. Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24 shows the flight was cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,277.6 metres) — which is within the average cruising range for commercial flights. Then at about 7:49am the Boeing 777-300ER suddenly and sharply dropped 75 feet (22.86m) in three seconds, before flying up 200 feet (60.96m) in six seconds. It continued dropping and flying up hundreds of feet in a few seconds, reaching a maximum of 37,400 feet (11,399.52m) at 7:49:59 before immediately diving back down 400 feet (121.92m) in about 26 seconds. The entire ordeal was just under a minute and a half.
Is climate change to blame? A spate of turbulence reports has triggered a debate over whether climate change may be causing more turbulence. A report from the University of Reading last year suggested turbulence could worsen with climate change. "Our latest future projections indicate a doubling or trebling of severe turbulence in the jet streams in the coming decades if the climate continues to change as we expect," said Professor Paul Williams, one of the authors. However, he told Fox News that while there seemed to be a strong correlation, more research was needed. "It's too early to definitively blame climate change for the recent apparent increases in turbulence. Increased media coverage, aided by in-flight video footage from passengers' mobile phones, may well be a factor," Williams added.
Singapore Airlines turbulence: why climate change is making flights rougher
Warming temperatures are likely to mean that more of your plane ride will have rocky conditions, creating potentially dangerous situations
Severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore has left a 73-year-old man dead and injured more than 70 people. The incident, although rare, is raising questions about what caused such a serious disruption to the flight — and whether climate change will make the strength and frequency of turbulence on planes worse. The plane, which departed on 20 May, experienced a sudden drop of around more than 1,800 metres that launched people and objects towards the cabin roof. It is the airline’s first fatal incident in 24 years. “Severe turbulence is the one that turns you into a projectile,” says atmospheric researcher Paul Williams at Reading University, UK. “For anyone not wearing a seatbelt it would have been a bit like being on a rollercoaster without any restraint in place — it would have been terrifying,” he says.
What causes turbulence in aeroplanes? Most flights experience some level of turbulence. Near the ground, strong winds around the airport can cause turbulence as planes take off or land. At higher altitudes, up- and downwards flows of air in storm clouds can cause mild to severe turbulence as planes fly through or near them. “Nobody likes flying through a storm,” says Williams. Air flows that move upwards over mountain ranges can also create turbulence. “As the air blows over the mountain, the plane gets lifted up and can become turbulent,” says Williams. Moreover, turbulence often occurs on the edges of jet streams, which are strong air currents that circle the globe. Any turbulence that occurs outside of clouds is called “clear air” turbulence. It could take weeks to establish what kind of turbulence caused the Singapore Airlines incident, says Williams. “Provisionally, there was a storm nearby, but also the conditions were right for clear air turbulence — we need to do some more digging before we can say,” he says.
Is climate change making turbulence worse and more frequent? Climate change is making turbulence more frequent and severe, says atmospheric researcher Jung-Hoon Kim at Seoul National University. In a study published last year1, Williams and his colleagues found large increases in clear-air turbulence between 1979 and 2020. Over the North Atlantic, severe clear-air turbulence — which is stronger than Earth’s gravity — became 55% more frequent. There were similar increases in turbulence all over the world, he says. The increase is almost certainly the result of climate change, which is strengthening the jet streams that cause turbulence, says Williams. “We already know it’s having an impact,” he says.
What is clear-air turbulence? What to know about the "very violent" phenomenon
Video and passenger accounts have painted a picture of chaos aboard Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 after the passenger aircraft encountered what the airline called "sudden extreme turbulence." One person died during the incident. Authorities believe the passenger, identified as a 73-year-old British man, had a heart attack. Dozens more passengers were injured. Six people were treated for severe injuries after the plane made an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand, CBS News previously reported. The incident has drawn attention to the dangers turbulence can pose. One type of turbulence, known as clear-air turbulence, can be especially difficult for pilots.
What is clear-air turbulence? Clear-air turbulence is a "typically very violent" phenomenon that occurs at high altitudes, typically between 23,000 to 39,000 feet above sea level, said Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation. What makes clear-air turbulence dangerous is that it can't be seen in advance like turbulence caused by weather, known as convective turbulence. Normally, flights divert or enter a holding pattern to avoid severe turbulence, but if it can't be seen in advance, pilots can't adjust to avoid it, Shahidi said.
What causes clear-air turbulence? Planes often fly through air masses known as jet streams. Within those streams, there are multiple layers of air flowing at varying speeds "almost on top of each other," said Daniel Adjekum, a pilot and aircraft safety consultant who holds a doctorate in aerospace sciences and teaches at the University of North Dakota. The differing temperatures cause friction. That friction, in turn, causes "a lot of disturbance," Adjekum said. In convective turbulence, caused by storms or other weather, air is heated and displaced, leading to high moisture content that can be easily spotted on flight instruments. Clear-air turbulence doesn't have that high moisture content level, so radar and other instruments can't detect it until it's too late, Adjekum said. "That is what makes it very insidious," Adjekum said. Climate change also plays a part. Warmer air caused by carbon dioxide emissions is leading to stronger wind shear at higher elevations, which can result in clear-air turbulence. A 2023 study found that clear air turbulence has increased by 41% over the past 40 years.
‘Dropping Very Dramatically’: What Deadly Turbulence Did to a Flight
The seatbelt sign came on moments after the plane started shaking, but, for some, it was too late. “Whoever wasn’t buckled down, they were just launched into the air within the cabin,” said Dzafran Azmir, who was among the 211 passengers on board the London-to-Singapore flight that encountered deadly turbulence on Tuesday. “Within an instant, they hit the ceiling of the cabin and dropped right back onto the floor.”
The plane, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300 ER, had taken off from London’s Heathrow Airport on Monday night, about 10 hours earlier. It was about three-quarters full. Many of the travelers were Singaporeans returning home. Some were students studying in England. Others were families and some who had planned a “holiday of a lifetime” to far-flung destinations like Australia. The bulk of the 13-hour journey of flight SQ321 was over, and many passengers had finished their last meal onboard, a breakfast that these days has been a choice between an omelet with cream cheese or stir-fried Asian noodles, both served with a side of fresh fruit. By this time, the plane had reached the Bay of Bengal, which sits between the Indian subcontinent and the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Some pilots consider the region “notorious” this time of the year because its monsoon rains can cause turbulence.
But commercial pilots know how to prepare for such scenarios. They rely on weather radar and carry extra fuel so they can fly around and wait for the weather to ease, if needed. Or they follow the course charted by other planes that recently have passed through the area and have warned air traffic controllers about weather upheavals. One scenario that is impossible to prepare for is when the skies are clear and the plane’s radar does not detect anything amiss. This phenomenon is known as clear air turbulence. “It could be the plane just starts shaking, we turn on the seatbelt sign, but, unknowingly, we fall into the clear air turbulence zone,” said Captain Teerawat Angkasakulkiat, president of the Thai Pilots Association. “It’s totally unpredictable.”
Singapore Airlines death: Is climate change making air turbulence worse?
Experts say climate change is expected to make incidents of turbulence worse for air travellers
Geoff Kitchen was on his way to a six-week holiday across South Asia and Australia with his wife Linda. Ten hours into the flight and in the middle of the breakfast service, Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore plunged 6,000 feet (1,800 metres) in minutes. The Boeing 777-300ER carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members made an emergency landing in Bangkok. Kitchen went into cardiac arrest and ultimately died. At least 71 others were injured and 20 people are still in intensive care units in Bangkok.
But how often do such injuries and deaths happen, what is air turbulence, is it getting worse – and does climate change have a role in all of this? Compared with the millions of flights that take to the skies each year (40.1 million forecast for 2024), what happened on SQ321 is rare. In the United States, the world’s largest air travel market, there have only been 163 injuries between 2009 and 2022 that required hospitalisation, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The National Transportation Safety Board hasn’t reported a single turbulence-related death on a large-body aircraft in that period. It’s also almost unheard of for turbulence to bring down an aircraft – let alone a commercial one. Although a plane did crash in 2001, it was because of a technical error and not directly related to turbulence. That was American Airlines flight 587 from New York’s JFK to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The NTSB confirmed that turbulence caused a failure in the aircraft’s vertical stabiliser..
What causes turbulence? Turbulence is essentially a disturbance in the air and there are several different types and reasons why it occurs. Terrain like mountains can shift airflow and air is forced to rise over natural terrain that can cause waves of air that trigger turbulence. While weather events can affect turbulence as well, the one that causes the most concern is called clear-air turbulence or CAT. “It can be caused by what are called gravity waves that cause undulations in the air that you can’t see. The only way pilots know about it is to hear about it from a previous pilot. Pilots often listen to what a person who took that same flight path a few minutes earlier say. That’s the best way to detect these turbulence events,” Ramalingam Saravanan, head of the department of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University, told Al Jazeera.
What passengers and crew can do during flight turbulence
Buckling up even when the “fasten seat belt” sign is off and avoiding the restroom when the plane is flying over oceans - what experts recommend to stay safe in the event of extreme turbulence, like what happened to SQ321
The issue of safety during in-flight turbulence has taken centrestage, after one passenger died and scores injured when Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321 SQ321 encountered severe turbulence en route to Singapore from London's Heathrow Airport on Tuesday (May 21).
Experts shared with CNA on Thursday a range of measures that both passengers and cabin crew can take in such situations:
- Keeping seat belts on? - In a nutshell, yes. But there’s more: Experts told CNA that passengers should keep their seat belts fastened at all times while seated. Even when seat belts are fastened loosely, they are “very effective” in avoiding serious injuries during strong turbulence on flights, said Professor Rico Merkert, an aviation expert at the University of Sydney.
- What about the kids? - Children under the age of three should be held by their parents and have their infant seat belts fastened. “Infants are belted to the adult because they are not big or strong enough to be placed and belted on a separate seat,” said former airline executive Chow Kok Wah.
- What if I’m not seated? - If the plane encounters turbulence while passengers are moving about in the cabin or on their way to the toilet, Mr Daniel advises them to maintain a low profile, most likely by crouching.
- Are there seats less affected by turbulence? - According to experts, where passengers are seated can affect how they feel turbulence. Experts told CNA that the effects are less apparent in the middle of an aircraft, near the wings.
- How are cabin crew trained to respond to turbulence? - There are protocols to follow for when the plane hits turbulence, said the former SIA flight stewardess. “We have to secure ourselves, lay low, and grab onto the nearest seat. If the oxygen masks drop down, we have to grab one also and wear it first, before we can tend to the passengers,” she added.
Six other times turbulence led to serious injury on SIA flights in last 20 years
The incident on Flight SQ321 is SIA’s first fatal aviation accident since 2000
Investigations have been launched into a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight that hit sudden, extreme turbulence on May 21, leaving one passenger dead and dozens injured. The incident on Flight SQ321, which was diverted to Bangkok in Thailand about 10 hours after leaving London, is IA’s first fatal aviation accident since the SQ006 crash in Taiwan in October 2000, which killed 83. According to public records, there have been six other times in the last 20 years that Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) and its forerunner, the Air Accident Investigation Bureau, have looked into flights hit by turbulence.
The TSIB, a department of the Ministry of Transport, investigates air accidents and incidents in Singapore, as well as those overseas involving Singapore-registered aircraft or aircraft run by a Singapore operator. All six turbulence cases TSIB investigated involved SIA flights and were classified as aviation accidents, as they each resulted in at least one passenger or crew member suffering a serious injury.
Here is a look at these accidents:
- Jan 18, 2019 - A female passenger aboard an SIA flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Wellington, New Zealand, broke her right thigh bone after the Boeing 777-200 aircraft momentarily lost altitude during a bout of turbulence.
- Aug 1, 2017 - About 10 minutes after take-off, a Bangkok-bound SIA flight encountered moderate to severe turbulence lasting three to five seconds. This was while the Boeing 777-200 flew through the edges of some scattered clouds.
- June 18, 2015 - While descending into Singapore, a double-deck SIA Airbus A380 flying from Hong Kong encountered turbulence for about two seconds as the plane flew past a cloud that the pilots had been avoiding.
- Oct 18, 2014 - Severe turbulence on an SIA flight from Singapore to Mumbai caused some passengers and crew to be thrown towards the cabin ceiling.
- Oct 17, 2011 - Three hours into a flight from Shanghai to Singapore, an SIA Boeing 777-300 aircraft experienced sudden turbulence lasting eight seconds while cruising at 35,000 feet over Vietnam.
- June 28, 2004 - An SIA Boeing 777-200 headed to Nagoya, Japan, from Singapore hit moderate to severe turbulence over the South China Sea, leaving a cabin crew member with broken wrists and a cut above his left eye.
Crash of Singapore Airlines Flight SQ006
Singapore Airlines (SIA) Flight SQ006, which was on its way to Los Angeles from Singapore via Taiwan, crashed on a closed runway at Chiang Kai-shek Airport (now called Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport) during take-off on 31 October 2000 at 11.18 pm local time. The incident, which destroyed the aircraft and killed 83 people, was SIA’s first serious accident and marred its reputation of having a good safety record. Immediately after the accident, SIA changed the flight number to SQ030.
At the time of the accident, heavy rainstorm and strong winds caused by typhoon Xangsane prevailed over Chiang Kai-shek Airport. The aircraft, a Boeing 747-400, started off once the airport cleared its departure from runway 05L at 11.15 pm. However, it took a right turn too soon and entered the wrong runway, 05R, which was closed for repairs. Due to the obscured visibility caused by the harsh weather, the flight crew did not see the construction equipment parked on the runway just over a kilometre away from where the take-off roll began. By the time the pilot noticed the equipment, it was too late to swerve the plane away from speeding towards the obstruction as the nose of the aircraft had already left the ground. At 11.17 pm, about 33 s after the take-off roll started, the plane collided with the parked equipment.
The impact broke the plane into two and caused the filled fuel tank to explode. The large fire that followed destroyed the forward section of the aircraft and the wings, killing many seated in the middle section of the plane. Many others suffered burns. The fire was eventually extinguished at 12.00 am. Of the 179 people on board, 83 were killed. The four crew members who died were all cabin crew; the pilot and two co-pilots survived.
