What happened to Sinagpore Airlines flight hit by extreme turbulence?

The chief executive of Singapore Airlines has apologised and offered his “deepest condolences” to the family of a British man who died on a flight from Heathrow Airport.

Geoff Kitchen, 73, suffered a suspected heart attack on the flight during a period of severe turbulence, according to a spokesman for Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, where the plane was diverted to. In a video statement posted on Facebook, Singapore Airlines chief Goh Choon Phong said the company was “deeply saddened by this incident” and that they were co-operating with authorities on the investigation into the incident.

Passengers on board the flight have spoken out about what it was like as the plane was rocked by severe turbulence, with many of those on board – including the crew – suffering injuries as they were hurled around inside.

What we know

• Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 departed at 10.17pm on Monday 20 May from London’s Heathrow Airport.

• The plane was operated by a 16-year-old Boeing 777 jet.

• There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board – 56 from Australia, two from Canada, one from Germany, three from India, two from Indonesia, one from Iceland, four from Ireland, one from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, two from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, five from the Philippines, 41 from Singapore, one from South Korea, two from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and four from the USA.

• Flightradar24 said its tracking data showed the plane encountering turbulence at approximately 8.49am BST while flying over Myanmar.

• Data sent from the aircraft showed a “rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event”, with “some severe” thunderstorms in the area at the time.

• The flight was diverted to Bangkok, landing at 3.45pm local time (9.45am BST) on Tuesday 21 May.

• Photographs from inside the plane showed large gashes in the overhead cabin panels, gas masks and panels hanging from the ceiling and items of hand luggage strewn around.

• One passenger said some people's heads had slammed into the lights above the seats and punctured the panels.

• Singapore Airlines said 18 people were hospitalised and 12 were in hospitals. Samitivej Hospital said it was treating 71 passengers. Seven were critical, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn said.

• British passenger Geoff Kitchen, a member of the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in Bristol, was confirmed to have died on the flight on Tuesday.

• The airline’s chief executive has issued an apology and offered “deepest condolences” to Kitchen’s family.

What passengers said

'Awful screaming'

Andrew Davies told the BBC that he heard “awful screaming” on the plane as it his turbulence. “During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful screaming and what sounded like a thud…

“We had just been asked to put our seatbelts on when there was just this incredible thump and I just recall seeing loads of objects flying in the air in front of me, knives, forks, plates. I remember there was coffee on the ceiling and a woman covered with blood from a deep gash in her head.

“It seemed to take forever to reach the ground but it was probably only about an hour or so.”

'Dramatic drop'

Student Dzafran Azmir, 28, who was also on the flight, told Reuters spoke about the moment that passengers experienced a “dramatic drop”.

“Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop, so everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling.

“Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabin overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it…

“I saw people from across the aisle just going completely horizontal, hitting the ceiling and landing back down in really awkward positions. People, like, getting massive gashes in the head, concussions.”

Read more: Singapore Airlines plane made 'dramatic drop', people flung upwards, says passenger (Reuters)

'Staff did their best'

A 68-year-old passenger, known only by his first name, Jerry, was travelling to his son’s wedding and told the BBC the day was “the worst of my life”.

“Things were going very smoothly at first. I’d just been to the loo, came back, sat down, bit of turbulence, and suddenly the plane plunged. I don’t know how far, but it was a long way.

“(It was) so sudden, there was no warning at all, and I ended up hitting my head on the ceiling, my wife did. Some poor people walking around ended up doing somersaults.

“It was absolutely terrible, and then suddenly it stopped and it was calm again, and the staff did their best to tend to the injured people.“

'No warning'

Teandra Tukhunen, from Melbourne, Australia, told Sky News she had been asleep when the turbulence hit the plane.

“I woke up because of the turbulence, and then when they put on the seatbelt sign, pretty much immediately, straight after that I was flung to the roof, before I even had time to put my seatbelt on unfortunately.

“Because it was just so quick they had no warning whatsoever. It was just so quick, over in just a couple of seconds and then you’re just shocked.”

Read more: Australian 'thrown to roof' during deadly turbulence (AAP)