Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 passenger recalls turbulence chaos: ‘I thought the plane was going down’

One moment Toby Pearl was ensconced in his economy-class seat in row 43 aboard a flight from London to Singapore. The next all hell broke loose, with personal belongings, food and even people being hurled around the cabin, crashing into overhead lockers and causing oxygen masks to deploy from the ceiling.

“The seat belt light came on and almost immediately after the turbulence hit, I myself, followed by a large amount of others, were thrown in the air hitting the roof,” Pearl said in response to written questions after the aircraft made an emergency landing in Bangkok. “It felt like we had crashed, I thought the plane was going down. You could hear the smashing of glass in the back of the cabin.”

Cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,200m) and with a good two hours left before the aircraft was due to touch down in Singapore, the twin-aisle plane was suddenly and forcefully shaken by what Pearl described as a “big hit” that took everyone off guard, followed by a smaller, “more manageable” impact.

The aircraft swiftly began an emergency diversion into Bangkok, according to data by flight tracking service Flightradar24. Emergency crews said seven people were critically injured and admitted to hospital. Others, including Pearl, received medical check-ups and complementary helpings of hamburgers before being cleared for their onward journey.

About 240 events of severe turbulence were reported to European planemaker Airbus between 2014 and 2018. Injuries to passengers and crew occurred on 30 per cent of long-haul flights where such events were reported, and 12 per cent of short-haul flights, according to a briefing document on the phenomenon.

Airlines advise passengers to keep their seat belts fastened at all times, though