On May 21, a Singapore Airlines passenger plane made an emergency alternate landing at Thailand Airport. One person was killed and many others were injured due to strong turbulence during the flight.
A Singapore Airlines passenger plane emergency alternate to Thailand
The passengers on board revealed to the media that turbulence caused "People on board who are not wearing seat belts are thrown to the top of the cabin" 。 Many photos released on social media showed that oxygen masks fell from the cabin, including a stewardess. Many people, including a stewardess, had blood on their faces, and many items such as boxed meals fell from the ground.
The cabin was in chaos, and the stewardess's face was covered with blood
Dzafran Azmir (28), a Malaysian passenger, told Reuters that when they arrived at their destination Singapore in three hours, the plane suddenly tilted upwards and began to shake, which made him uneasy.
He immediately checked whether he was wearing his seat belt, But many other passengers didn't have time to fasten their seat belts. "The plane suddenly fell after that, and passengers without safety belts were thrown upward. Some people's heads hit the luggage compartment, concave the luggage compartment, and the lights above and the place where the oxygen mask was placed were also broken. Many people fell to the ground, and my mobile phone flew out of my hands and rolled down to the other side of the aisle, and people's shoes were also thrown away."
The lamp above and the place where the oxygen mask is placed are broken
Zaflan said, Flight attendants and people in toilets are the most seriously injured 。 He saw many people lying on the ground unable to stand up, "Many people have spinal and head injuries".
The plane then made an emergency landing at Bangkok Airport, and the ambulance arrived later. Zaflan said that he saw at least eight people being put on stretchers and carried out from the emergency exit, while all passengers took 90 minutes to evacuate from the plane.
At 19:00 on the evening of May 21, Beijing time, some Chinese official media quoted the latest news from Thai media that the death toll had increased to 2.
However, at about 20:00 on the evening of May 21, Beijing time, Singapore Airlines released information on social media that showed that the death toll was still 1, and the number of injured was 30, of which 18 were hospitalized and 12 were treated in hospitals. Singapore Airlines said that the rest of the passengers and crew were at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok for examination and necessary treatment.
The picture shows the ambulance at the airport
Kittipong Kittikakorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, held a press conference at the airport at about 21:00 in the evening, It was a 73 year old British man who died. He said, The deceased has other health problems, which may be caused by the accident. The wife of the deceased is currently in hospital for treatment.
Why does turbulence cause such serious casualties?
The Singapore aviation accident also caused shock in the domestic civil aviation circle. A number of civil aviation personnel said to reporter Orange that after the incident, insiders were also trying to analyze the accident: It is possible to enter the turbulence or thunderstorm by mistake, which will cause such severe turbulence and casualties.
Civil aviation personnel pointed out that, After entering the thunderstorm by mistake, the stress of airplane turbulence in the high altitude is beyond imagination. This is the same with driving. The faster the speed is, the more obvious the bumpy stress will be.
In addition, not everyone will wear seat belts throughout the flight, especially during the flight. Some people may go to the bathroom and their seat belts are unfastened. Some people may lose their seat belts after cruising.
If it is a passenger with basic diseases or hits a vital body part, it may cause casualties.
Civil aviation officials said that accidents caused by turbulence or thunderstorms have also occurred in the history of civil aviation, but not as serious as the death and injury of the Singapore Airlines accident.
Is this incident a forced landing or an alternate?
A civil aviation official pointed out to the orange persimmon reporter that, This time, many media used "forced landing". In fact, in the aviation profession, this statement is incorrect. Strictly speaking, this is an "alternate landing". Although the incident led to death and injury of passengers, it was still an "alternate landing". The "Diverted to Bangkok" in SIA's announcement also means "alternate landing in Bangkok".
Alternate landing refers to the act of landing at other airports when an aircraft cannot or is not suitable to fly to the scheduled landing airport, or cannot land at the scheduled airport. Common reasons include route traffic control, large area thunderstorm unable to detour, scheduled landing airport closed, patients on the plane need to be sent to the hospital immediately for first aid, etc. Another kind of situation is that the aircraft has mechanical failure, such as the failure of one engine of a twin engine aircraft and the rupture of the windshield. Generally, the aircraft will find the nearest alternate airport to land as soon as possible.
The idea of forced landing is also likely to cause public panic. Civil aviation personnel suggested that "emergency landing" should be used if the nature is uncertain.
Is the accident related to the aircraft type?
According to the opinions of many people in the civil aviation industry, China's civil aviation has high requirements. In case of thunderstorms, the aircraft will bypass more, and similar accidents will not occur generally.
When encountering such turbulence, Basically, it has nothing to do with the aircraft type, and it has little to do with the aging of the aircraft. It is mainly related to the radar and the pilot's decision-making.
Do not unfasten the safety belt unnecessarily
For this accident, civil aviation personnel also gave suggestions: You have to unfasten your seat belt!
Although it is unlikely that you will not exercise your legs and legs during a long journey, you should try to choose a safe time, such as when it is sunny outside the window and the plane is not obviously bumpy, you can get up and exercise. But don't unfasten your seat belt when there are clouds outside or when it is bumpy from time to time. Even if the seat belt indicator is off, do not unfasten the seat belt easily.
Orange persimmon interaction, reporter of Urban Express Cheng Xiaolong
Content comprehensive "aviation circle" public account
