According to Xinhua News Agency, Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 crashed into the airport of Thailand on the afternoon of the 21st local time due to severe turbulence. The death toll rose to 2 and another 30 were injured.
Singapore Airlines said that the flight number SQ321, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, took off from London and was originally scheduled to fly to Singapore. The aircraft model is Boeing 777-300ER.
▲ Information map of SIA Boeing 777-300 aircraft according to CCTV news It is reported that the flight took off at 10:38 p.m. local time on the 20th and made an alternate landing at Bangkok International Airport at 3:45 p.m. on the 21st. The specific time point of casualties is still unclear. According to the information summarized on Flight Radar 24 aviation website, about 11 hours after the flight left London, the aircraft suddenly landed from 37000 feet (about 11277.6 meters) to 31000 feet (about 9448.8 meters) within 3 minutes. That is to say, the plane dropped about 1828.8 meters in three minutes. According to the report, the food in the cabin spilled all over the ground.
Wang Yanan, an aviation expert at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and chief editor of Aviation Knowledge, said in an interview with Red Star News that the aircraft will encounter turbulence (i.e. turbulence) almost every time it flies, "which is a common phenomenon". Wang Yanan explained that most of the turbulence was of low intensity, "lasting about ten seconds". However, a small part of turbulence is extremely violent, and it is estimated that Singapore Airlines flight should encounter this situation.
"This turbulence can make the plane rise and fall hundreds of meters in a few seconds, which is like a giant hand throwing the plane up and down again." Wang Yanan explained that the design of the plane itself can cope with this turbulence. "But passengers on the plane may be more dangerous, especially those who do not fasten their seat belts." Wang Yanan said that under such circumstances, if they do not fasten their seat belts, people may "fly" in the cabin and may hit the top of the cabin, bulkhead and other parts. If an important part of a person, such as the head, is hit strongly, it may cause serious injury.
▲ The food in the cabin is scattered all over the ground 28 year old passenger Zaflan Azmir said in an interview with the media that the plane suddenly shook strongly and then suddenly fell down. "Those passengers who did not fasten their seat belts were immediately thrown to the top of the cabin." Azmir recalled that some passengers hit their heads into the luggage compartment.
Wang Yanan believed that the first reason why such a large area of injuries occurred in this incident was that the turbulence was very intense; The second reason may be that some passengers did not fasten their seat belts properly. "Judging from the previous cases of severe turbulence, passengers who use seat belts can almost be uninjured." Wang Yanan stressed that when taking a plane, you must fasten your seat belts all the way. "The fact that the seat belt indicator light is off does not mean that the passenger can loosen the seat belt, but only that the passenger can loosen it when necessary, such as in the bathroom. But as long as the person sits on the seat, the seat belt must be buckled."
John Strickland, an aviation expert, also said in an interview that relatively speaking, it is rare for passengers on board to be injured due to turbulence. "However, severe turbulence may still cause serious consequences, and lead to injuries or even deaths of people on board." He added that it is reasonable for the airline to advise passengers to fasten their seat belts during the whole flight.
Li Jingrui, a Red Star journalist, from Xinhua News Agency (Lin Hao, Gao Bo), CCTV News (Yao Ruixin, Yang Tanli)
Editor Guo Zhuang, Editor in Charge Officer Li
