Overview
- The Boeing 777 on Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 experienced extreme vertical accelerations after passing over south‑west Myanmar on May 21, 2024, causing one death and 79 injuries when unbelted people were thrown into the cabin ceiling.
- Investigators concluded the upset was convectively induced by a fast‑growing cloud that produced powerful updrafts rather than classic clear‑air turbulence.
- Flight crew reported clear visual conditions and no hazardous weather on their navigation displays before the event, and TSIB found it likely the aircraft's weather radar under‑detected or failed to display the inclement weather.
- Maintenance records show three prior under‑detection or non‑detection incidents on the same aircraft in the month before the crash, while the radar manufacturer’s post‑flight tests reported no fault, creating an unresolved technical contradiction.
- TSIB urged fixes including recording weather display images, Boeing guidance on detecting 'under‑painting' or 'no‑painting', and ICAO action to expand onboard recording rules; the report raises the prospect of regulatory follow‑up and legal claims by injured passengers.