The heartbroken wife of a man who died after a Singapore Airlines flight was hit by severe turbulence has described the terrifying moment their plane plunged 178ft in under five seconds.
Linda and Geoff Kitchen, from Thornbury near Bristol, were looking forward to a six-week holiday around Singapore, Indonesia and Australia when their SQ321 flight from London Heathrow suddenly plummeted over Myanmar in May 2024.
The turbulence aboard the Boeing 777-300ER caused a scene of terror among passengers. Mr Kitchen, 73, died after a suspected heart attack, while Mrs Kitchen, 74, suffered spinal fractures and was placed in intensive care before being transferred back to the UK 10 days later for further treatment.
Speaking for the first time, Mrs Kitchen described the moment the aircraft was struck by the turbulence as she joined several other UK passengers in taking legal action against Singapore Airlines for personal injury damages.
She told The Independent, she said: “There had been some turbulence over Europe and it had been shaky over the water, but it was around 10 hours into the flight when we encountered the main turbulence. It was so severe; it felt like the aircraft was dropping.
open image in gallery“I noticed my Kindle and Geoff’s phone had fallen to the floor and I thought the plane was going down. The drop in altitude seemed to happen suddenly. I fell backwards and to the side and felt pain shooting through me.
“Geoff fell onto me and was squashing me into the armrest and I couldn’t move him. I was screaming and somehow two passengers managed to come across and help him. They moved Geoff near the escape door and a doctor was called to carry out CPR on him.”
However, despite the efforts on board, Mr Kitchen did not survive. The tragic news made it to his wife two days later in hospital.
Mrs Kitchen said: “When I got separated from Geoff I knew he was in a bad way, but nothing prepared me for hearing he had died. It was absolutely devastating.
“What followed was an emotional and distressing time as I tried to come to terms with Geoff’s death and the reality that I would never see him again, while also coping with considerable pain from my own injuries.
open image in gallery“The last two years have been incredibly difficult. Losing Geoff was a crushing blow to the whole family as we all thought he would be around to see his grandchildren grow up. We had a happy and fulfilled marriage and now I’ve lost my soulmate.”
Mr Kitchen was popular in the Thornbury community, in particular through his work with Thornbury Musical Theatre Group, said Mrs Kitchen, his wife of 52 years. Following his death, the threatre paid tribute to the retired insurance professional, calling him a “gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity”.
Just the week before he died, Mr Kitchen had been helping with preparations for an upcoming show, which dedicated it to him following his death.
He also left behind the couple’s two children, aged 48 and 45, and four grandchildren.
open image in galleryMrs Kitchen added: “I know nothing can bring Geoff back, but I feel I owe it to him to at least get some answers and understand the circumstances surrounding his death.”
Papers submitted with the High Court show two claims from the Kitchen family; one on behalf of Mrs Kitchen, the other also in her name but on behalf of his estate. Meanwhile, the family also wait on a coroner inquest to take place into Mr Kitchen’s death.
Others to have launched legal action against Singapore Airlines include Bradley Richards, Jack Jenkins, Hannah Fullerton, Andrew Dawood, Bryan Matthews and Pauline and Michael Rainey, according to court records.
Anthe Korelidou, the specialist aviation lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Linda said: “All Linda wants is for the most thorough investigations to be conducted. The issuing of High Court proceedings is a major milestone in being able to provide Geoff’s loved ones with the answers they deserve.”
open image in galleryIn the aftermath of the incident, Goh Choon Phong, chief executive officer of Singapore Airlines, apologised for the “traumatic experience” for those onboard the flight, which was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand. The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members.
Images and video posted on social media after the incident showed damage to the ceiling of the cabin, and food, cutlery and other debris strewn on the floor. Passenger Josh Silverstone, from south London, said: “I woke up on the floor, I didn’t realise what happened, I must’ve hit my head somewhere. There were people laying out on the floor.”
A spokeswoman for Singapore Airlines said they were unable to comment on matters which are before the courts.
In July of 2024, the airline told the Independent it had adopted a “more cautious approach to managing turbulence in-flight” following the incident.