A British woman whose husband died following severe turbulence aboard a Singapore Airlines flight has begun High Court proceedings against the carrier, seeking damages related to injuries she sustained during the May 2024 incident. Linda Kitchen, 74, suffered a broken back, while her husband, Geoff Kitchen, 73, died after the turbulence on flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore.
The Boeing 777-300ER encountered sudden extreme turbulence while flying over southern Myanmar at 37,000 feet. Singapore’s official preliminary investigation found that rapid changes in vertical acceleration caused the aircraft to lose 178 feet during the most severe four-second sequence, after which the pilots diverted to Bangkok.
Kitchen Seeks Damages for Ongoing Injuries
Kitchen and her husband were beginning a six-week holiday covering Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia when the incident occurred about 10 hours into the flight.
She said the aircraft appeared to suddenly fall as personal items dropped to the floor. During the turbulence, her husband fell on top of her and pushed her into the armrest before other passengers moved him and a doctor began CPR.
Kitchen was taken to hospital while Geoff remained aboard the aircraft. She said she was informed two days later that he had died.
She spent 10 days in hospital before being flown back to Bristol, where she remained hospitalized for about another week. Her lawyers have now started proceedings in the High Court to seek damages that would help fund specialist support for her back injury.
SQ321 Incident Left 79 People Injured
Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau said 79 people aboard SQ321 received medical attention in Bangkok and one passenger died. The investigation remains ongoing, with investigators from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration assisting Singaporean authorities.
Singapore Airlines previously said it would cover medical expenses and provide other assistance to affected passengers. The airline also sent compensation offers to passengers in June 2024 and said it was fully cooperating with the official investigation.
Anthe Korelidou, the specialist aviation lawyer representing Kitchen, said the family continues to have questions about the incident and whether more could have been done to prevent the injuries.
Singapore Airlines had not provided a response to the latest legal proceedings when the original report was published.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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