BRITISH GRANDAD DIED AFTER SINGAPORE AIRLINES FLIGHT PLUNGED 7,000 FEET — WIFE REVEALS TERRIFYING FINAL MOMENTS

LONDON — What was supposed to be the beginning of a six-week dream vacation turned into a nightmare when a Singapore Airlines flight suddenly plunged thousands of feet in seconds, leaving dozens of passengers injured and a British grandfather fighting for his life.

More than two years later, his widow is finally speaking publicly about the terrifying moments that changed her family forever.

Geoff Kitchen, 73, was traveling with his wife, Linda, aboard Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore on May 20, 2024, when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence.

The Boeing 777-300ER was nearly 11 hours into its 13-hour journey when the flight was suddenly thrown into chaos.

According to lawyers representing Linda, the aircraft plunged approximately 7,000 feet in just six seconds.

For the passengers inside, it felt as though the plane was falling out of the sky.

“I THOUGHT THE PLANE WAS GOING DOWN”

Linda, who had been married to Geoff for more than five decades, was wearing her seatbelt when the turbulence intensified.

She said the flight had already experienced some turbulence earlier in the journey, but nothing compared with what happened over the Indian Ocean.

Then everything changed.

“It was so severe; it felt like the aircraft was dropping,” Linda recalled.

Her Kindle and Geoff’s phone suddenly fell to the floor.

That was when she realized something extraordinary was happening.

“I thought the plane was going down,” she said.

The sudden change in altitude violently threw passengers around the cabin.

Linda was thrown backward and to the side, suffering severe spinal injuries.

Then Geoff fell onto her.

She was unable to move him.

“I was screaming,” she recalled.

Two passengers eventually managed to reach the couple and move Geoff toward the aircraft’s emergency exit area.

A doctor was called and attempted CPR.

But Geoff could not be saved.

LINDA LEARNED HER HUSBAND WAS GONE FROM A HOSPITAL BED

Perhaps the most devastating part of Linda’s ordeal came afterward.

She was taken to a hospital in Bangkok after the flight was diverted.

She was in intensive care with serious spinal injuries.

And while she was fighting to recover, she learned that the man she had spent 52 years with had died.

Geoff suffered a fatal heart attack following the turbulence.

The couple had been traveling from their home in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, at the beginning of a six-week trip that was supposed to take them through Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and Australia.

Instead, the journey ended in tragedy.

A FLIGHT THROWN INTO CHAOS

The turbulence struck roughly 10 hours into the flight.

The aircraft was eventually diverted to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Linda was among the seriously injured passengers taken to hospital.

According to the report, up to 70 injured passengers and crew members were involved in the emergency response, while 18 people were transported to hospital with injuries requiring medical treatment.

Some passengers were placed in neck braces and slings, while others had to be carried from the aircraft on stretchers.

Geoff remained on the plane as emergency crews attempted to save him.

THEIR CHILDREN RUSHED TO THAILAND

When Linda’s children learned what had happened, they immediately traveled to Thailand.

Her two children, aged 48 and 45, rushed to their mother’s bedside.

For Linda, the family support became crucial as she faced the devastating realization that her husband would not be coming home.

She had survived the flight.

But the person who had shared more than half a century of her life had not.

NOW LINDA WANTS ANSWERS

More than two years after the incident, Linda has launched legal action against Singapore Airlines.

Specialist aviation lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have issued High Court proceedings seeking damages on her behalf.

The legal action is aimed not only at compensation but also at getting answers about what happened aboard SQ321.

Linda’s legal team says the family continues to have questions about whether more could have been done to prevent the injuries suffered by passengers.

One particularly important issue is an earlier report indicating that potential problems involving the aircraft’s on-board weather radar could not be ruled out.

That issue remains part of the wider questions surrounding the flight.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES DECLINES TO COMMENT

A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines said the airline could not comment because the matter is now before the courts.

The airline has previously expressed condolences following the SQ321 incident.

The legal proceedings will now have to examine the circumstances surrounding the turbulence, the injuries suffered by passengers and whether there was any failure that contributed to the consequences of the incident.

No court has determined liability based solely on the allegations contained in the proceedings.

A DREAM HOLIDAY THAT NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO BEGIN

For Geoff and Linda, the journey had been something to look forward to.

They had planned an extended international vacation together — a six-week adventure through several countries.

Instead, barely 10 hours into the first flight, their lives changed forever.

Geoff never reached Singapore.

Linda survived, but with serious injuries that required intensive medical treatment and a long recovery.

And now, more than two years later, she is still searching for answers.

“LOST MY SOULMATE”

For Linda, the tragedy cannot be measured simply by the injuries documented in medical records.

She lost her husband of 52 years.

The man who fell onto her during the sudden plunge was not just another passenger.

He was her lifelong partner.

Their final moments together occurred in the middle of an aircraft cabin thrown into chaos by an event neither of them could control.

Linda’s legal action is now seeking answers about how such a devastating outcome unfolded.

And behind the courtroom proceedings is a family still trying to understand how a dream vacation became the final journey for a beloved husband, father and grandfather.

More than two years later, Linda is still living with the physical consequences of that flight — and the emotional loss of the man she describes as her soulmate.

The questions surrounding Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 may now be decided in court, but for Linda and her family, the most important question remains deeply personal:

Could anything have been done differently to prevent Geoff from becoming one of the most tragic victims of the turbulence?