Fig 1: Injured Passengers and Crew plus wrecked facilities and items inside cabin of SQ 321 after plane hits severe/extreme turbulence whilst flying over Myanmar
Pilot of SQ321 declares Medical Emergency and diverted flight to Bangkok
Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) encountered by flight SQ 321 whilst flying over Myanmar on 21 May 2024 had caused rapid changes in the G force resulting in the plane thrust downward and upwards causing it to plunge sharply, flinging passengers and crew across cabins resulting in injuries and one death. (Fig 1)
The terrifying Mid-air ordeal which passengers and crew were subjected to lasted
1 minute 2 seconds (62 seconds) from 7.49.21am GMT till 7.50.23 am GMT (Table 1 and Fig 2)
Table 1: SQ 321 Flight Information from 07:49:00-07:50:23
Fig 2: For one minute and two seconds, passengers of Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 felt their plane rocked by sudden and extreme turbulence as they flew over the Irrawaddy Delta region of Myanmar on May 21.
Reuters reported that the pilot declared a medical emergency after being informed of the injured passengers on board their aircraft.
With the plane now in Thailand’s airspace, the pilot placed a distress call to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, asking to make an emergency landing. (Table 2) Then he made an in-flight announcement about the new destination, and asked for anyone who was medically trained to help passengers with injuries.
Flighradar 24 reported that at 08:03 UTC the aircraft changed course and began a diversion to Bangkok. (Table 2)
Table 2: SQ 321 Flight Information from ( 07:49:21 – 07:50:23) till 08.45
Channel News Asia reported on 29 May 2024 that Approximately 17 minutes after the turbulence event , at 8.06am UTC, the pilots initiated a normal, controlled descent from 37,000 ft and the aircraft reached 31,000 ft at 08.10am (Fig 3) UTC.
Fig 3: At 08:03 UTC the SQ 321 aircraft changed course and began a diversion to Bangkok.
SQ 321 Pilot Request for Emergency Landing due to injuries and fatalities on board
Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister of Thailand, Suriya Juangroongruangkit, said "I was informed by the AOT that at 3.35pm today (08:35 UTC), the Suvarnabhumi Airport Security Centre was notified by air traffic control about SQ321 from Heathrow to Changi, Singapore, with 211 passengers and 18 crew members, (that) requested an emergency landing at BKK due to injuries and fatalities on board. (Fig 4)
Fig 4: Pilot of SQ321 declares Medical Emergency and request for permission to divert flight to Bangkok
FlightRadar 24 reported after the aircraft changed course UTC and began a diversion to Bangkok at 08:03, SQ321 landed in Bangkok at 08:45 UTC (15:15 local time or 4.45 Singapore time) (Fig 5 - Fig 8)
Fig 5: SQ 321 makes controlled descent from 37,000ft to land in Bangkok airport at 08.45
Fig 6: SQ 321 landed in Bangkok at 3.35pm local (Thai Time)
Fig 7: SQ321 made an emergency landing in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:45 pm ( Thai Time) on May 21st , 2024
Fig 8: This graphic shows information on Singapore Airlines flight 321 which was diverted to Bangkok after encountering severe turbulence arriving Bangkok airport at 3.45pm.
Bangkok Airport’s Preparation for SQ321 Arrival
Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport awaited for the arrival of flight SQ 321 with his team together with the doctor who led the medical emergency operation involving the turbulence-stricken Singapore Airlines flight Doctor Wichanya Burirak and her medical team (Fig 9 - Fig 11)
Fig 9: Doctor Wichanya Burirak with Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.
Fig 10: Airport staff and emergency services are seen preparing for the arrival of the Singapore Airlines flight in Bangkok, Thailand. Picture: Twitter
Fig 11: Airport staff and emergency services are seen preparing for the arrival of the Singapore Airlines flight in Bangkok, Thailand
Fig 12: Personnel waiting at Bangkok Airport to provide support to passengers and crew of SQ 321
Landing and Immediate Response
The Boeing 777-300ER landed safely on runway 19R at BKK Airport and subsequently vacated the runway, taxiing to the terminal. (Fig 13 and Fig 14)
Fig 13: SQ321 made an emergency landing in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3.35pm (Thai Time) or 4:45 pm (Singapore Time) on May 21st , 2024
Fig 14: SQ321 made an emergency landing in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:45 pm (Local Time) on May 21st, 2024
The response on the ground was swift, with dozens of ambulances rushing to the scene to provide medical assistance. (Fig 15- Fig 16) Air Traffic Control (ATC) was informed about difficult situations for the board, which necessitated this rapid response.
A convoy of more than a dozen ambulances were lined up on the tarmac. (Fig 16) The general manager at the airport in Bangkok described a scene of 'panic and chaos'.
Fig 15: Emergency crews have raced to the scene after the plane made an emergency landing
Fig 16: A convoy of more than a dozen ambulances were lined up on the tarmac
Fig 17: Airport officials gather near the aircraft ladder attached to the Singapore Airlines aircraft for flight SQ321 parked on the tarmac after an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 22, 2024.
Fig 18: Airport staff Waiting at the scene in Thailand
Fig 19: The airline said its priority was to “provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft” as soon as possible. Credit: Andrew Davies/X formerly Twitter
Passengers were evacuated from the stationary plane and taken to tents set up on the tarmac to assess their condition. (Fig 20 & Fig 21)
Fig 20: Passengers were evacuated from the stationary plane and taken to tents set up on the tarmac to assess their condition
Fig 21: Passengers and crew SQ 321 receiving treatment upon arrival at Bangkok airport
When the aircraft landed at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, shortly before 4pm local time, passengers appeared shell-shocked as paramedics and staff helped them off the plane in wheelchairs and on stretchers. (Fig 22 - Fig 24)
Fig 22: SQ 321 passengers carried on stretches from Cabin towards ambulances
Fig 23: SQ 321 passengers helped by paramedics and staff off the plane in wheelchairs
Sky News reported Ambulances later arrived and Mr Azmir said he saw at least eight people on stretchers being pulled out of the emergency exits. It took 90 minutes to evacuate the plane, he said.
Fig 24: A passenger injured in the turbulence aboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 is taken to a waiting ambulance after the emergency landing on Tuesday at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Fig 25: Staff member carry people on stretchers after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, in Bangkok, Thailand
Injured Passengers & Casualties
There were 103 injured and one death on flight SQ 321 when it landed in Bangkok airport.
The one casualty was a 73-year-old British passenger, Mr Geoff Kitchen, who died on the flight, of suspected heart attack. Neighbours told reporters that he was headed for the "holiday of a lifetime" with his wife.
Other severely injured passengers and crew were rushed by ambulances to hospitals in Bangkok (Fig 26).
Fig 26: Dozens of ambulances whisk 30 passengers off Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321, which landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:45 pm on Tuesday afternoon towards hospitals nearby
Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital issued its second statement on Wednesday, that on May 21, a total of 84 injured passengers were referred to the hospital and other medical facilities. An additional 19 passengers received treatment at Samitivej Suvarnabhumi Clinic, bringing the total to 103 cases.
Samitivej is a private healthcare group with seven hospitals in Thailand with the first hospital founded in 1979. Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital about a 20-minute drive from Suvarnabhumi Airport maintains a clinic at the airport
With some 20 doctors, 50 nurses and dozens of other medical staff, the hospital got to work assessing patients arriving in a stream of ambulances, before sending them to the relevant departments for treatment. Meanwhile, the hospital also alerted several backup medical teams – including general surgeons and spinal specialists – and the blood bank to be on standby.
For the next 24 hours, medical workers at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, which admitted the bulk of the affected passengers, worked in shifts, tending to at least 10 critical cases while performing a total of nine operations that day. The oldest patient at the hospital is 83 years old and the youngest, a two-year-old child who suffered a concussion.
As of 1 pm on May 22, 27 patients have been treated and discharged. However, 41 people remain under treatment at Samitivej Srinakarin (Fig 27 & Fig 28), 15 at Samitivej Sukhumvit (Fig 29), and two at Bangkok Hospital. (Fig 30)
Out of the 58 patients receiving treatment, twenty (20) patients are being treated at the intensive care unit (ICU), while the other 38 are receiving in-patient care. (Fig 30)
Fig 27: 41 patients are in Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital-28 in general-care unit and 13 in ICU
Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital director Adinun Kittiratanapaibool during a press (Fig 28) conference informed that as of 3 pm on Thursday, out of total number of patients there of 41, twenty-two (22) people sustained spinal and spinal cord injuries, while six (6) have skull and brain injuries and another 13 people are being treated for bone, muscle and other injuries He however explained that it is too early to say if any of the patients will suffer permanent paralysis from their injuries.
Fig 28: Adinun Kittiratanapaibool, director of Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, speaks to the press about the treatment and condition of injured passengers on May 23, 2023, two days after Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore was hit by severe turbulence. The flight made an emergency landing in Bangkok.
Fig 29: 15 patients are in Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital- 8 in general care unit and 7 in ICU
Fig 30: 58 Patients in 3 Hospitals in Bangkok- 38 in General Care Unit and 20 in ICU
PM Singapore Mr Wong called PM Thai Srettha Thavisin “to express appreciation to the Thai Government and relevant authorities in providing assistance and support to passengers and crews of flight SQ 321 (Fig31)
Fig 31: PM Lawrence Wong called to convey his appreciation to Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin
Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Tuesday (May 28) that he received a call from PM Lawrence Wong this morning to thank him for the assistance the Thai government has been extending in the past week after Singapore Airlines flight 321 made an emergency landing when sudden and severe turbulence left one dead and dozens injured.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mr Thavisin wrote that Mr Wong called him “to express appreciation to the Thai Government and relevant authorities in providing assistance and support to passengers and crews from the recent Singapore Airlines flight that took an emergency landing in Thailand. I reiterated our readiness to provide assistance and support to those still recuperating in Thailand.”
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