GRANDAD, 73, DIES AFTER SINGAPORE AIRLINES PLANE PLUNGES 178FT IN LESS THAN FIVE SECONDS

GEOFF KITCHEN WAS THROWN FROM HIS SEAT ON A SINGAPORE AIRLINES FLIGHT AFTER SEVERE TURBULENCE SENT THE BOEING 777 PLUNGING 178FT — A CORONER HAS NOW RULED THAT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECT OF THE TURBULENCE PRECIPITATED HIS FATAL CARDIAC ARREST.

A 73-year-old British grandfather died after severe turbulence sent a Singapore Airlines aircraft plunging 178 feet in less than five seconds, a newly concluded inquest has heard.

Geoff Kitchen, from Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, was travelling with his wife Linda on flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore on May 21, 2024, when the Boeing 777 encountered severe turbulence over Myanmar.

The aircraft was cruising at approximately 37,000 feet when the terrifying incident unfolded.

The plane was later diverted to Bangkok, where Geoff was pronounced dead.

A TERRIFYING DROP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLIGHT

Geoff had been sitting beside Linda when the aircraft suddenly encountered severe turbulence.

Linda, who was wearing her seatbelt, described feeling a “huge drop” followed by intense pain across her back.

The sudden movement threw Geoff from his seat and onto his wife.

Two passengers eventually lifted him away from Linda before he was moved onto the cabin floor and CPR was started.

The aircraft stabilised several minutes later and the crew made a Mayday call before diverting to Bangkok.

When the plane landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport at approximately 8:45am, emergency medical teams rushed aboard.

Geoff was pronounced dead.

The incident left 72 passengers injured, including 56 people who were seriously injured and 23 who suffered minor injuries according to the inquest’s reading of the investigation report.

LINDA WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED

Linda suffered serious injuries during the turbulence, including spinal fractures and a head wound.

She was taken to intensive care in Bangkok.

But while she was recovering, she did not know that her husband had died.

Linda told the inquest that she repeatedly asked about Geoff but was not informed of his death until two days later.

She spent around 10 days in hospital in Thailand before being flown back to Britain, where she spent another week receiving treatment in Bristol.

CORONER RULES TURBULENCE PRECIPITATED HIS CARDIAC ARREST

The inquest heard that Geoff had a history of coronary artery disease.

He had undergone surgery to have stents fitted in 2019 after a critical coronary artery lesion.

However, medical evidence indicated that he had subsequently returned to normal exercise capacity and was not experiencing significant problems during later reviews.

Consultant pathologist Dr Edward Sheffield gave the cause of death as cardiac failure due to coronary artery atheroma and the physiological effects of aircraft turbulence.

Assistant coroner Dr Peter Harrowing concluded that the turbulence was the immediate trigger.

He said he was satisfied that the physiological effect of the aircraft turbulence precipitated the cardiac arrest and ultimately caused Geoff’s death.

THE PLANE LOST 178 FEET IN SECONDS

A final investigation into the SQ321 incident found that the aircraft encountered severe turbulence while flying over southwestern Myanmar.

The Boeing 777-300ER dropped approximately 178 feet in under five seconds.

Investigators said the aircraft had likely encountered turbulence associated with a rapidly growing cloud.

The plane’s altitude and speed changed rapidly during the event, producing violent vertical movements inside the cabin.

The incident became one of the most serious turbulence events involving a commercial passenger aircraft in recent years.

A SIX-WEEK HOLIDAY ENDED IN TRAGEDY

Geoff and Linda had been beginning a six-week holiday that was expected to take them to Singapore, Indonesia and Australia.

Geoff was a retired insurance professional, a father of two and a grandfather of four.

He was also deeply involved in his local community.

For more than three decades, he had been associated with the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group, serving at different times as chairman, treasurer and secretary.

His family has described his death as a devastating loss.

Linda said she and Geoff had enjoyed a happy marriage and that losing her husband had been a crushing blow to their family.

LINDA LAUNCHES LEGAL ACTION

More than two years after the incident, Linda and several other British passengers have begun legal proceedings against Singapore Airlines seeking damages over injuries suffered during the flight.

Linda has instructed specialist aviation lawyers, who have issued High Court proceedings.

Her legal team said she continues to have questions about what happened during the flight and whether more could have been done to prevent the injuries suffered by passengers.

Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 was ultimately diverted to Bangkok so that injured passengers could receive urgent medical treatment.

For Linda, however, the consequences did not end when the aircraft landed.

She lost her husband during the flight and was left seriously injured herself — only learning the full extent of what had happened two days later.

A FINAL INQUEST FINDING

The latest inquest has now established the medical circumstances surrounding Geoff’s death.

He had underlying coronary artery disease, but the coroner concluded that the severe turbulence and its physiological effects precipitated the fatal cardiac arrest.

A journey that began as the first day of a long-awaited holiday therefore ended with the death of a 73-year-old husband, father and grandfather — while dozens of other passengers were left injured by the sudden plunge.

The legal claims brought by Linda and other passengers remain separate from the coroner’s finding and continue to be pursued.