Singapore Airlines: Inquest into flight SQ321 from 2024 which killed Geoff Kitchen reveals new information
Geoff Kitchen was travelling to Singapore from London in 2024 when the plane fell more than 50 metres in less than five seconds.
More details have been revealed about the man who died after his international flight was hit with extreme turbulence.
On May 21, 2024, Geoff Kitchen was travelling on a Singapore Airlines flight from London Heathrow to Singapore, when the Boeing 777 suddenly dropped in altitude near Myanmar.
In less than five seconds, the plane dropped around 178ft (54m) with 211 passengers onboard and 18 crew.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The flight was diverted to Bangkok, Thailand, where Mr Kitchen was pronounced dead.
An inquest into the horrifying incident, which left 56 with serious injured and 23 with minor injuries, has revealed more details about the 73-year-old’s death, the BBC reported.
Assistant coroner Dr Peter Harrowing determined Kitchen’s cause of death, the inquest was told.
“I am satisfied that it was the physiological effect of the aircraft turbulence which precipitated the cardiac arrest and ultimately Geoff’s demise,” he said.
Dr Harrowing added that Kitchen had a history of coronary artery disease.
At the time, he was travelling with his wife Linda, embarking on a six week holiday to Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia.
Ms Kitchen described the terrifying moment the plane experienced a “huge drop or lunge” in a report read to the inquest.
Before it happened, she said her husband was listening to a podcast.
She said she was screaming and was in “incredible pain” from a back injury caused by the turbulence, and she suffered a head wound which she described as “bleeding profusely”.
Her husband, who Dr Harrowing said was “thrown from his seat and landed on an adjacent passenger”, was moved to the front of the plane to receive CPR.
An initial post-mortem examination found that he died of congestive heart failure.
Kitchen was the only person killed in the tragic incident.
Ms Kitchen said she was not told about her husband’s death until two days later.
She spent 10 days in hospital in Thailand before being transferred to a UK hospital for a further week.
Singapore Airlines chief executive Goh Choon Phong previously apologised for the “traumatic experience” for those onboard flight SQ321.
He offered his condolences to the Kitchens and all impacted by the turbulence.
The new information comes weeks after Ms Kitchen initiated legal action against Singapore Airlines over the “severe turbulence”.
Specialist aviation lawyer representing Ms Kitchen said years on, there remained a number of questions about the circumstances of the turbulence.
“That Geoff was fatally injured and Linda suffered severe injuries vividly highlights the severity of what happened,” the BBC published.
“While it’s more than two years since Geoff’s death, Linda and the rest of her family continue to have a number of questions and concerns about what happened and if more could have been done to prevent their injuries.
“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.”
