Brit relives turbulence hell that claimed one life

A British student has revealed how she ‘froze with terror’ after being catapulted out of her seat on an ill-fated Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence.

Mia Stevenson, 22 was travelling on flight SQ321 from London to Singapore when it plunged a staggering 6,000 ft in just three minutes, causing her to be launched into the ceiling of the plane and smash her head.

In terrifying scenes, other passengers somersaulted into the air after being jettisoned out of their seats as coffee and cups of water were thrown into the air and their phones, shoes and cushions flung around.

Twenty people are still in intensive care in Thair hospitals, including six Britons.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline from a hospital in Bangkok, where she is undergoing medical examinations, Ms Stevenson said: ‘I was partially asleep and the next thing I remember is that I just flew upwards and crashed into the ceiling and then fell down really hard into the aisle. 

‘It was over in seconds and I didn’t know what was going on. I was very confused and just froze. I couldn’t understand what had happened. It was terrifying and I was shocked.’

She added: ‘I lost perception of everything. But I managed to get back into my seat and put my seat belt back on and then it all became a bit of blur.

‘It was one of the most frightening experiences of my life but somehow a bit of logic managed to kick in. Once I was back in my seat, I just wanted the plane to land but I can’t tell you how long it was before that happened because I was so dazed.’

Harrowing images taken on board of the aftermath of the incident showed how the cabin was littered with debris as distraught passengers tried desperately to stem the blood flowing from severe cuts and blunt force injuries.

Oxygen masks and panels were left hanging from the ceiling, and the floor was covered in food and drinks, with luggage scattered. 

Patches of blood stained the cabin carpets.

Mia, who is a music student from Bristol, said that she was travelling to Bali for a two-week holiday. 

After being helped off the plan by emergency services, she was immediately taken to a hospital in Bangkok where she underwent a series of medical examinations.

Mia spent the night in a hotel and returned to the hospital on Wednesday for further checks. She was joined by her brother, who flew from England to comfort her.

She said: ‘I’ve been in hospital for a second time. I hit my head really hard on the ceiling and had a lot of pain and throbbing. I’ve also had some X-rays but so far everything seems to be OK, and I’ve been given the all clear by the doctors.

‘But the pain has not gone, it’s still quite bad and the doctor has given me some paracetamol. I’m lucky that it wasn’t anything more serious.’

Mia revealed that she was not wearing a seat belt and was seated towards the rear of the plane when it hit turbulence over Myanmar around 10 hours into the flight.

British grandfather Geoff Kitchen, 73 died from a suspected heart attack during the incident with around 70 passengers injured in total.

The plane carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew made an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where medical staff used gurneys to ferry the injured to ambulances waiting on the tarmac.

A relief flight carrying 131 passengers and 12 crew landed at Singapore’s Changi Airport on Wednesday morning with a handful like Mia remaining in Bangkok to undergo further medical checks.

She said: ‘The pain in my head hasn’t gone but it’s not as bad as it was. The doctor has said that I’m fit to fly and I’m not scared about getting on a plane again.

‘I still feel quite shaken, but I understand that hitting turbulence like this is a very rare event and unlikely to happen to me ever again. 

‘I think I have had my lot of severe turbulence. But I do feel very sad about what happened and I send my condolences to the family of the man who died.’

Mia said that she was not sure if she would continue to Bali for her holiday and was planning to temporarily remain in Bangkok to consider her options.

She added: ‘I need to assess what’s best for me right now. I will figure it out once I’m back at the hotel and need to have a bit of time to think.’

Mia and her brother Oli grew up in Wimbledon, South West London, and attended the £24,749-a-year Emanuel School in Battersea.

Dad Matthew, 49, is a senior executive at BT, while mum Georgina, 46, has previously referred to herself as a personal stylist and ‘freelance creative consultant’.

Other passengers also spoke about the terror they faced on the flight.

Jerry, who was travelling to his son’s wedding, said the day was ‘the worst of my life.’

Speaking with a bandage covering part of his head, he said: ‘Things were going very smoothly at first. I’d just been to the loo, came back, sat down, bit of turbulence, and suddenly the plane plunged.

‘I don’t know how far, but it was a long way. (It was) so sudden, there was no warning at all, and I ended up hitting my head on the ceiling, my wife did.’

He added: ‘Some poor people walking around ended up doing somersaults. It was absolutely terrible, and then suddenly it stopped, and it was calm again, and the staff did their best to tend to the injured people.

‘There were a lot of them and some of the staff are injured themselves, so they did a sterling job.’

Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on the flight, said: ‘Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it. They hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it.’

Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said the sudden descent occurred as passengers were being served food. He said at least seven passengers were severely injured. The British man appeared to have had a heart attack, but medical authorities would need to confirm that, he added.

Mum Allison Barker described the hours of desperate waiting after getting a chilling message from her son at 9.10am on Tuesday. 

‘I don’t want to scare you, but I’m on a crazy flight. The plane is making an emergency landing… I love you all,’ Josh’s text read.

Allison told the BBC: ‘It was terrifying. I didn’t know what was going on. We didn’t know whether he’d survived, it was so nerve wracking. It was the longest two hours of my life. It was awful; it was petrifying.’

Thai authorities said 104 people in total were provided with medical care, with roughly 80 believed to have been taken to hospital. 

The ICU patients include six Britons, six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the Philippines, hospital authorities said.

Doctors performed emergency surgery on nine people in the hours after the aircraft landed yesterday, with five more operations were expected today.

As the relief flight landed in Singapore, relieved relatives greeted the arrivals with hugs but all were too shaken to talk to waiting reporters.

Another passenger, named as Josh, said that he blacked out during the turbulence. When he came to, he said pools of blood had collected on the cabin floor.

‘There was water everywhere, blood everywhere, people’s belongings just strewn all over the plane,’ the Times reported.

The victim of the fatal heart attack was named as Geoff Kitchen, 73, who was on his ‘last big holiday’ with his wife, who remains in hospital.

It was later revealed that the grandfather had helped fundraise for local businesses during the pandemic with a musical theatre group.

He and his wife had spent the weekend with their grandchildren before jetting off for their ‘trip of a lifetime’.

The retired insurance worker and his wife, from Thornbury, near Bristol, were heading on a six-week holiday to South East Asia and Australia.

Neighbours yesterday told MailOnline that he had suffered heart problems in recent years and had stents put in to widen his arteries.

Close friend Steve Dimond, 73, who lives a few doors down from Mr Kitchen’s three-bed home, said: ‘You wouldn’t know it, he carried on as normal and was very fit and active.

‘He was very involved with amateur dramatics and was helping me make scenery for our new production. He was a good singer, a fine actor, he was on the committee, he loved musical theatre.

‘He and his wife like live music, all sorts, folk jazz, everything. He’s known his wife since they were teenagers, they are a lovely couple. It’s a terrible shock, he was a really nice bloke.’

He added: ‘They were very adventurous and had been planning the holiday for a long time. They spent last weekend with their grandchildren because they wouldn’t be seeing them for a while.’ 

In a Facebook post shared on Tuesday evening, Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in Bristol said: ‘It is with a heavy heart that we learn of the devastating news of the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend Geoff Kitchen in the recent Singapore Air Incident.

‘Geoff was always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity and always did what was right for the group.

‘His commitment to TMTG was unquestionable and he has served the group and the local community of Thornbury for over 35 years, holding various offices within the group, including Chairman, Treasurer and most recently Secretary.

‘Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family at this difficult time, and we ask that you respect their privacy.’

Passengers on the fateful flight told how they and flight crew desperately tried to save Mr Kitchen’s life by delivering CPR, as well as tending to other injured passengers. 

A video posted online in 2020 showed how Mr Kitchen led the group in a rendition of You Will Be Found from musical Dear Evan Hansen, as a way to ‘say thank you to the people and businesses of Thornbury for everything you have done’.

The poignant message added: ‘To our friends, family, audiences, local businesses, the Armstrong Hall which has given us a home for almost 50 years and everybody else in our local community, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.’

Singapore Airlines said the flight encountered ‘sudden extreme turbulence’ over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000ft about ten hours after departure.

The aircraft hit an air pocket and plummeted an astonishing 6,000ft in just five minutes, with the sudden drop unleashing mayhem onboard and forcing the plane to make an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport.

Terrified passengers described how they had little to no warning to put their seatbelts on before the aircraft suddenly dropped while the crew were serving breakfast.

The 16-year-old Boeing 777 had left  London’s Heathrow airport at 10.17pm on Monday and was diverted to Bangkok, landing at 3.45pm local time (9.45am BST) on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Singapore’s Prime Minister said authorities would launch a ‘thorough investigation’ into the incident. 

Lawrence Wong also offered condolences to Kitchen’s family, adding: ‘I also hope and pray that those who are injured will recover and return home soon.’

Singapore Airlines said: ‘Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, operating from London Heathrow to Singapore on May 20, encountered severe turbulence en route.

‘We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board.

‘Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.’

Singapore Airlines chief executive Goh Choon Phong said in a statement: ‘On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased passenger.

‘We also deeply apologise for the trauma experienced by all passengers and crew members on this flight.

‘We are providing all possible assistance and support to them, along with their families and loved ones, during this difficult time. The well-being of our passengers and staff is our utmost priority.’

Flightradar24 said its tracking data showed the plane encountering turbulence at approximately 8.49am BST while flying over Myanmar.

The flight tracking service said data sent from the aircraft showed a ‘rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event’, adding that there were ‘some severe’ thunderstorms in the area at the time.

Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, representing over 50,000 workers at 20 airlines, said it is important for passengers to wear seatbelts whenever seated.

‘It is a matter of life and death,’ Nelson said.

Aviation consultant John Strickland said that ‘turbulence happens’ but even with millions of flights each year, incidents are ‘limited’ and ‘fatalities are rare’.

He said: ‘Exposure is greater in different parts of the world.

‘The South Atlantic, Africa and the Bay of Bengal are all places that spring to mind where there’s a greater incidence.

‘There are discussions about whether climate change is influencing an increase in occurrences.’

Mr Strickland said airlines use a variety of methods to minimise the chances of a flight being affected by turbulence, such as weather forecasts, radar and reports from aircraft ahead.

A spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: ‘Our deepest condolences go out to all those who have been affected.

‘Accidents of this nature are extremely rare and aviation remains one of the safest forms of travel.’