Overview
- On May 21, 2024, Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore hit severe turbulence over Myanmar, made an emergency landing in Bangkok, and resulted in one death and dozens of injuries.
- Linda Kitchen filed two claims in the UK High Court in late August 2026 seeking damages for her broken back and bringing a claim on behalf of her late husband’s estate, and British court records show several other passengers have launched similar actions.
- Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau published a final report in May 2026 that said the turbulence was convectively induced, that Geoff Kitchen suffered heart failure with pulmonary oedema, and that the aircraft’s weather radar likely did not show the rapidly developing cell.
- Mrs Kitchen was placed in intensive care, was repatriated to the UK for further treatment, and TSIB reported 56 serious injuries and 23 minor injuries among the 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
- The airline apologised and offered compensation in 2024 and has introduced enhanced monitoring tools and crew training, but a coroner’s inquest and unresolved technical questions about radar detection mean legal proceedings could shape further accountability and safety changes.