The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft of Singapore Airlines, is parked after the SQ321 London-Singapore flight, that encountered severe turbulence, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, near Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, May 22, 2024. The Singapore Airlines flight descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes, the carrier said Tuesday. A British man died and authorities said dozens of passengers were injured, some severely. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
BANGKOK (AP) — Singapore Airlines said Friday it will halt meal services and get all cabin crew to buckle up when planes fly through turbulence as part of tighter cabin measures after one person died and dozens were injured on a flight from London this week.
The airline said it has adopted a “more cautious approach to managing turbulence in-flight” after the Boeing 777 jet heading to Singapore hit extreme turbulence over the Andaman Sea on Tuesday, hurling people and items around the cabin.
“In addition to the suspension of hot beverage service when the seat belt sign is on, the meal service will also be suspended,” the airline said in a statement. “Crew members will also return to their seats and secure their seat belts when the seat belt sign is on.”
The plane, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, made a sharp 6,000-foot (around 1,800-meter) descent in about three minutes, after which it diverted to Thailand. Officials said the turbulence was believed to have occurred when meals were being served and many people were not using seat belts. A 73-year-old British man died of a suspected heart attack. Forty-six passengers and two crew members remained hospitalized Friday.
The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft of Singapore Airlines, flight SQ321 from Heathrow is seen on tarmac after requesting an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International airport, Thailand, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Pongsakorn Rodphai via AP)
Passengers have described the “sheer terror” of the aircraft shuddering, loose items flying and injured people lying on the floor of the plane.
Singapore Airlines said other existing safety measures during poor weather conditions include getting crew members to secure loose items in the cabin and galley to minimize turbulence-related injuries, advising passengers to return to their seats and buckle up, and monitoring passengers who may need assistance such as those in the toilet.
“Pilots and cabin crew are aware of the hazards associated with turbulence. They are also trained to assist customers and ensure cabin safety throughout the flight,” the airline said. “SIA will continue to review our processes as the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance.”
The Singapore Straits Times newspaper said public records showed that authorities have investigated six other Singapore Airlines flights hit by turbulence in the past two decades, in which some passengers and crew members were injured. Tuesday’s incident was the only one involving a fatality.
It is unclear what caused Tuesday’s severe turbulence. It is believed to have been clear air turbulence, the most dangerous type that often occurs with no visible warning in the sky ahead. Wind shear can occur in wispy cirrus clouds or even in clear air near thunderstorms, as differences in temperature and pressure create powerful currents of fast-moving air.
Director of Samitivej Hospital Adinun Kittiratanapaibool talks to reporters during a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, where most of the 104 people hurt in the incident were treated, has said that the 48 people still hospitalized include those spinal or spinal cord damage, skull or brain injuries and damage to bones or internal organs.
Twenty people remained in intensive care, but the hospital said none was in life-threatening condition. They include six Britons, six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Singapore Airlines has issued a deep apology over the incident. Its CEO, Goh Choon Phong, has pledged it will cooperate fully in the investigation and has visited those in the hospital to offer his support.
An almost complete lower jaw has been discovered in Khao Khom Cave, Satun Province.
SATUN – The Khao Khom cave located south of a limestone hill near the reservoir behind Satun College of Agriculture and Technology is now a prehistoric archaeological site from the Neolithic period, dating back some 3,000 to 6,000 years.
Panomboot Chantarachoti, Director General of the Fine Arts Department, announced on May 23 the results of an archaeological survey conducted after the discovery of human skeletal remains in Khao Khom Cave, Village No. 10, Khuan Kalhong Sub-district, Khuan Kalhong District, Satun Province. Office 11 of the Songkhla Fine Arts Department was commissioned to survey the site on May 16.
Inside the Khao Khom cave
The research team found significant evidence, including human skeletal remains, pottery shards, animal bones, freshwater mussels and marine shells. According to initial investigations, Khao Khom is a prehistoric archaeological site from the Neolithic period, dating back some 3,000 to 6,000 years.
This analysis refers to the 2010 archaeological excavation of the Pa To Ro cave in Khuan Don district, Satun province, where prehistoric skeletons were found that have been scientifically dated to around 3,000 years ago.
Previous archaeological excavations have uncovered numerous prehistoric sites in Satun Province, indicating that it was a major settlement area in ancient Thailand. At least 46 archaeological sites have been identified and efforts are underway to compile and publicize a comprehensive list.
The Director General thanked the various institutions for their efforts to protect and develop cultural learning and tourism sites. This significant discovery will benefit future archaeological research and the academic development of the Fine Arts Department.
Officers from the Fine Arts Department conducted an archaeological survey inside the Khao Khom cave.
The inspection was initiated following a report from Mr. Kampol Sassadi, a speleologist and Forest Mountain Guard volunteer, who had repeatedly requested permission to explore Khao Khom Cave. He described Khao Khom as a large limestone hill with dense forest at the base of which is a cave known locally as Khao Khom Cave. The dry cave system stretches for about 500 meters and leads to a stream cave that extends to an unknown depth.
Evidence of early human occupation was found at the cave entrance, including Stone Age tools and human bone fragments (tibia bones, vertebrae and skull fragments, more than 10 in total) as well as an almost complete lower jaw.
An almost complete lower jaw has been discovered in Khao Khom Cave, Satun Province.
Numerous shells were also found, suggesting that it may have been a burial site, as more and more human remains were found during further excavations, indicating the burial of at least 10 people.
Following the observations and collection of evidence by Mr. Sassadi and the team at Satun College of Agriculture and Technology, the findings were submitted to the Department of Fine Arts for formal academic validation.
Evidence of early human occupation was found at the cave entrance.
Officers from the Fine Arts Department conducted an archaeological survey.
Khao Khom cave
Numerous shells were also found in Khao Khom Cave.
Officers from the Fine Arts Department conducted an archaeological survey.
FILE - Myanmar's ethnic Kachin man pans for gold in Myitsone in Myitkyina, Kachin State, about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) north of Yangon, Myanmar, Wednesday Nov. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win, File)
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Myanmar’s military government appears to be considering reviving a massive China-backed hydroelectric dam project, work on which was suspended more than a decade ago after protests over its possible impact on the environment.
A notice from the Information Ministry, published online in the latest issue of the government gazette on Tuesday, announced a new leadership team for the Myitsone hydropower project, which was put on hold in 2011 by Myanmar’s military-backed former president, Thein Sein.
FILE – An activist holds a placard during a protest against Myitsone dam project on the Irrawaddy River in Kachin State, in front of city hall in Yangon, Myanmar Saturday, Jan. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw, File)
China had considered the dam an important part of a national strategy to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and meet its targets to cut pollution. It lobbied strongly for its construction to resume, even after the suspension.
Environmental activists have said the dam would displace countless villagers and upset the ecology of the Irrawaddy River, one of the country’s most vital national resources,
Other opponents questioned the arrangement in which China would take 90% of the dam’s power, while nearly 70% of Myanmar at that time had no access to electricity, according to the World Bank.
Myanmar currently suffers from prolonged power outages that have become a major burden since the army seized power in February 2021, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Power cuts in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, now typically last eight hours a day.
FILE – Activists shout slogans during a protest against Myitsone dam project on the Irrawaddy River in Kachin State, in front of city hall in Yangon, Myanmar Saturday, Jan. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw, File)
The state-owned Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation reported early this month that the power supply has decreased due to inadequate power generation, a sudden increase in power consumption during a recent brutal heat wave and the destruction of electrical facilities by forces fighting against the country’s military government.
Current power production can meet only 50% of demand, it said.
It said a board for the Myitsone hydropower project was formed with 11 members from different departments. Aye Kyaw, a deputy minister of the Electricity Ministry, was appointed the board’s leader.
The notice, dated April 24, said the group would conduct research, consider technical solutions and handle public relations for the project in collaboration with the leadership team of China’s SPIC Yunnan International Power Investment company.
Fighting has erupted in the nearby townships of Kachin’s capital, Myitkyina, in recent months as the troops from the powerful armed forces of the Kachin ethnic minority have reportedly captured dozens of army bases in the area.
The Swedish visitor initially refused to get out of the car, with a little dog sitting inside.
PHUKET – After a Phuket resident posted information on the “Phuket Residents Seek Help” Facebook page about a Swedish man breaking into a rental house where the homeowner no longer allowed him to rent, the man became unhappy and threatened to return and kill the owner. The immigration police then investigated and found the location mentioned in the page.
Immigration officers, along with tourist police, went to monitor the area on May 22 until Mr. Francesco, a 33-year-old Swedish national, drove into Soi King Pattana 1, Moo 4, Saiyuan Road, Rawai Subdistrict, Mueang District, Phuket. The officers then revealed themselves and invited him for questioning.
The officers revealed themselves and waited for the Swedish man to get out of the car.
Mr. Francesco initially refused to get out of the car, with a little dog sitting inside. But the officers persuaded him until he agreed to come out. He was unable to present his passport, so the officers invited him to the Phuket Immigration Office to check the Immigration Bureau’s information system.
The investigation revealed that Mr. Francesco entered the Kingdom of Thailand on February 12, 2020, and was granted a NON-90 visa for business purposes, allowing him to stay in the kingdom until September 23, 2021. However, he refused to leave after that.
The officers informed him that he entered and stayed in the kingdom after his permission had expired, overstaying for 972 days. An arrest record was made and sent to the inquiry officer at Chalong Police Station for further legal proceedings.
Forensic officers collect evidence in the monk's quarters at Wat Suan Kaew where a fire broke out and claimed the lives of three children on May 23, 2024.
NONTHABURI – Three children, including 11-year-old twin boys and their 9-year-old friend, died in a fire that broke out in a monk’s living quarters at Wat Suan Kaew temple in Bang Len subdistrict, Bang Yai district, Nonthaburi province on Wednesday night.
The three children were under the care of the temple, where they were provided with shelter and education. The twins lived in this particular living quarters, and their two friends came to play with them. However, two of the friends went home before 10 p.m. on May 22, shortly before the fire started just after midnight.
Police suspect that the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit at the base of one of the posts supporting the structure.
Rescue workers found the charred bodies of the three children huddled together in a heartbreaking scene near the exit door. Police suspect that the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit at the base of one of the posts supporting the structure. When rain fell, it likely caused a short circuit with the metal frame of the building, igniting the fire.
At 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Ms. Kesorn, 42, the mother of the twin boys who died in the monk’s living quarters, arrived at Wat Suan Kaew after learning the tragic news about her twin sons. She collapsed in tears in front of the temple, hitting her chest and face in front of reporters to express her grief and sorrow.
Ms. Kesorn said that she had planned to visit her children at the beginning of next month but had to face this situation instead. She is so heartbroken that she wants to die with them.
Ms. Kesorn Inka, 42, the mother of the twin boys who died in the monk’s living quarters collapsed in tears in front of the temple on May 23, 2024.
Phra Payom Kalayano, the abbot of Wat Suan Kaew, said that the temple has been taking care of children for nearly 30 years, and there has never been such a serious incident before. What happened last night was an unforeseen incident because it was Visakha Bucha Day, and the temple had activities such as listening to sermons and candlelight processions until late at night. As a result, the person in charge of taking care of the children could not fully supervise them, and the children took the opportunity to sneak out of their dormitory to play in an unoccupied monk’s quarters.
The authorities’ investigation revealed that five children, including two pairs of twins, went down to play together. After playing for a while, two children asked to go to bed first, leaving the twin boys and one of the twins from the other pair playing in the quarters until the incident occurred. If the two children had not gone to bed first, it could have taken the lives of five children.
Phra Payom Kalayano, the abbot of Wat Suan Kaew (left)
Phra Payom further stated that some news agencies have presented distorted information, claiming that the room was locked from the outside. This is not true. The temple has video footage showing the temple caretaker running to get a fire extinguisher to help put out the fire in the room.
“If the door was really locked with a key from the outside, the entire quarters would have been burned down by now, and it would not have been possible to enter and extinguish the fire in time,” said Phra Payom.
Pol. Lt. Col. Piyawut Kaewmanee, acting superintendent of Bang Yai Police Station, said that the police officers at Bang Yai Police Station would have to wait for evidence from the autopsy results to determine the exact cause of death of the three children, whether they died from smoke inhalation or electrocution before being burned by the fire.
Forensic officers and Nonthaburi police collect evidence in the monk’s quarters at Wat Suan Kaew where a fire broke out and claimed the lives of three children on May 23, 2024.
Director of Samitivej Hospital Adinun Kittiratanapaibool talks to reporters during a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
CHALIDA EKVITTHAYAVECHNUKUL, BANGKOK — Many of the more seriously injured people who were on the Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence need operations on their spines, a Bangkok hospital said Thursday.
Twenty people remained in intensive care and a 73-year-old British man died after the Boeing 777, which was flying from London’s Heathrow airport to Singapore, suddenly descended sharply after hitting the turbulence over the Andaman Sea on Tuesday.
A public relations officer for Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, which has treated more than 100 people hurt from the ordeal, told The Associated Press that other local hospitals have been asked to lend their best specialists to assist in the treatments. He asked not to be named because of hospital policy.
Passengers have described the “sheer terror” of the aircraft shuddering, loose items flying and injured people lying paralyzed on the floor of the plane.
The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft of Singapore Airlines, flight SQ321 from Heathrow is seen on tarmac after requesting an emergency landing at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International airport, Thailand, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Pongsakorn Rodphai via AP)
It remains unclear what exactly caused the turbulence that sent the plane, which was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, on a 6,000-foot (around 1,800-meter) descent in about three minutes. The flight from London to Singapore was diverted to Thailand.
In one of the latest accounts of the chaos on board, 43-year-old Malaysian Amelia Lim described finding herself face down on the floor.
“I was so afraid … I could see so many individuals on the floor, they were all bleeding. There was blood on the floor as well as on the people,” she told the online Malay Mail newspaper.
The woman who had been seated next to her was “motionless in the aisle and unable to move, likely suffering from a hip or spinal injury,” she added.
The ICU patients included six Britons, six Malaysians, three Australians, two Singaporeans and one person each from Hong Kong, New Zealand, and the Philippines, Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said. It said it had provided medical care to a total of 104 people.
Thai authorities said the British man who died possibly had a heart attack. Passengers have described how the flight crew tried to revive him by performing CPR for about 20 minutes.
Most people associate turbulence with heavy storms, but the most dangerous type is so-called clear air turbulence. Wind shear can occur in wispy cirrus clouds or even in clear air near thunderstorms, as differences in temperature and pressure create powerful currents of fast-moving air.
An Australian passenger, center, who was injured on a flight that was battered by severe turbulence, talks to reporters at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
According to a 2021 report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, turbulence accounted for 37.6% of all accidents on larger commercial airlines between 2009 and 2018. The Federal Aviation Administration, another U.S. government agency, has said there were 146 serious injuries from turbulence from 2009 to 2021.
Tourism and aviation expert Anita Mendiratta, who is based in London, said the extreme turbulence was “extremely unusual.”
She said passengers should listen to instructions to keep their seatbelts on, ensure that hand baggage is put away safely when not in use, and reduce items stowed in the overhead compartments.
“When there is turbulence, those doors can open and all of the items up top, whether it’s our hand baggage, our jackets, our duty free items, they become movable and they become a risk to us all,” she told The Associated Press.
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Associated Press writer Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia contributed to this report.
File- Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin gestures as he talks to media during a news conference at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
NAPAT KONGSAWAD, BANGKOK — Thailand’s Constitutional Court accepted a petition Thursday from members of the country’s outgoing Senate to begin an ethics probe against the prime minister over his appointment of a Cabinet member.
The court ruled that Srettha’s appointment of Pichit Chuenban as minister of the Prime Minister’s Office was in violation of Section 160 of the constitution, which requires those in ministerial positions to “be of evident integrity” and bars those who fail to comply with ethical standards.
Pichit was jailed for six months in 2008 on contempt of court charges after he tried to bribe a judge presiding over former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s land purchase case with 2 million baht ($55,000) in a grocery bag.
Pichit resigned from his post Tuesday in what he described in his resignation letter as an effort to protect the prime minister. The minister of the Prime Minister’s Office is a position similar to the president’s chief of staff in the United States. Pichit had been in the job for 23 days following a cabinet reshuffle in late April.
The petition from 40 senators is seen as the biggest challenge Srettha’s government has faced since it came to power in August 2023. The complaint comes even after the current batch of senators officially ended their terms on May 11. The process of selecting a new Senate began this week and is supposed to be concluded in July.
Srettha survived an initial suspension vote Thursday, after the court voted 5-4 to not suspend the prime minister. Srettha now has 15 days to justify Pichit’s nomination to the court. After that, the court will deliberate on his suspension or impeachment.
The Constitutional Court has a record of rulings that favor the country’s conservative establishment, which is suspicious of political parties with populist leanings. Srettha and the ruling Pheu Thai Party are part of former Prime Minister Thaksin’s political machine. Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006. His electoral popularity was seen as a threat to the influence of the traditional elite, including the army.
His ouster set up years of struggle between his supporters and his opponents, sometimes fought in the streets, and sometimes in the courts. Thaksin-backed parties continue to perform strongly in elections, however.
In July, the political power of the military-appointed Senate was dramatically displayed. In a joint session with the lower house, the Senate blocked the progressive Move Forward Party’s candidate Pita Limjaroenrat from becoming prime minister, even after his party won the most seats in the election and formed a 312-seat coalition in the 500-member lower house.
The investigators split into two groups disguised as tourists and bought one-day tour packages for Koh Tao and Nang Yuan Island.
SURAT THANI – Immigration officials in Surat Thani Province have set up an investigation team after receiving a tip-off that foreigners from Myanmar were working as tour guides in the area around Nang Yuan Beach, Koh Tao Subdistrict, Koh Phangan District, Surat Thani Province.
The officers found five Myanmar nationals working as tour guides during the investigation.
This profession is reserved exclusively for Thai nationals and the presence of unqualified tour guides could damage the image of the tourism industry.
Several agencies were involved in the investigation, including the Immigration Police, Surat Thani provincial labour agents, Koh Samui Tourism Police and officers from the Koh Tao Police Station, 25 officers in total. They split into two groups disguised as tourists and bought one-day tour packages for Koh Tao and Nang Yuan Island. Officers were also stationed in the Nang Yuan Island area.
The investigation revealed that foreign tour guides had been working on one of the two excursion boats during the entire trip. The arresting officers identified themselves and found that there were five Myanmar nationals working as tour guides and one Myanmar national working as a boat driver on the boat from Koh Samui.
During this time, the officials also encountered another excursion boat from Koh Tao taking tourists to Nang Yuan Island. They uncovered and found that one Myanmar national was working as a tour guide and another without notifying the employer within 15 days.
Eight Myanmar nationals were arrested in this operation. Six of them were charged with operating as unlicensed tourist guides and operating beyond the permitted scope, one was charged with operating a boat without a license and operating beyond the permitted scope, and one was charged with failing to inform the registrar of his employment within 15 days. They were handed over to the Koh Tao Police Station for further prosecution.
New Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te, center, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, right, and former President Tsai Ing-wen wave during Lai's inauguration ceremonies in Taipei, Taiwan, Monday, May 20, 2024. Taiwan inaugurated Lai as its new president Monday, installing a relative moderate who will continue the self-governing island democracy’s policy of de facto independence while seeking to bolster its defenses against China.(AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
BEIJING – China’s military said Thursday it has started two-day drills around Taiwan as a “strong punishment” for those seeking the island’s independence and a “stern warning” against interference and provocation by external forces.
The exercises followed the inauguration Monday of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing condemns as a separatist. A map released by the military showed drill zones in five areas surrounding Taiwan as well as outlying islands close to the Chinese coast.
The drills through Friday are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, to the north, south and east of Taiwan Island, as well as around the islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu and Dongyin, according to the military’s Eastern Theater Command, which covers the strait.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry slammed China’s military drills as “irrational provocations and actions that undermine regional peace and stability.” The island’s sea, air and land forces have been dispatched appropriately and are confident of ensuring the island’s security, the ministry added.
A map published on May 23, 2024, by the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command on its official WeChat account shows the drill zones around Taiwan. (Kyodo)
The Taiwan ministry also said it has been closely monitoring the routine training of China’s amphibious landing forces and the moves of the Rocket Force troops together with the island’s coast guard.
The island’s Foreign Ministry urged China to “return to reason and show self-restraint” and refrain from actions that raise regional tensions.
The Chinese military said the drills involve the integrated operation of its forces to test the real combat capabilities, focusing on the seizure of comprehensive battlefield control, joint precision strikes on key targets, and the patrol of vessels and planes closing in on areas around Taiwan.
The China Coast Guard also said it has conducted a drill near Wuqiu and Dongyin islands.
Beijing has ramped up criticism of Lai, who called Taiwan a “sovereign, independent nation” in his inauguration speech and insisted that it and the mainland are “not subordinate to each other,” while vowing to maintain the status quo.
In the speech, Taiwan’s new leader also urged China to stop its military and political threats against the self-ruled island amid heightened cross-strait relations, with Beijing regularly sending military vessels and warplanes near the territory.
The mainland has also rapped the United States, Japan, Britain and South Korea for congratulating Lai on his inauguration. China is strongly opposed to countries that have switched their diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing engaging in official exchanges with Taiwan.
In August 2022, China conducted large-scale military drills encircling Taiwan following a visit to the island by then U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who became the highest-ranking U.S. official to set foot in the territory in a quarter century.
Communist-led China and Taiwan have been governed separately since they split as the result of a civil war in 1949. Beijing aims to bring the island into its fold, by force if necessary.
The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft of Singapore Airlines, flight SQ321 from Heathrow is seen on tarmac after requesting an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International airport, Thailand, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Pongsakorn Rodphai via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — The death of a British man and injuries impacting dozens of other people aboard a Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence Tuesday highlighted the potential dangers of flying through unstable air.
The exact cause of the 73-year-old man’s death is under investigation. Authorities said he may have suffered a heart attack, though that hasn’t been confirmed. Based on witness accounts, the number of injuries and the airliner’s sharp descent, experts point to the significant safety hazards that in-flight turbulence poses to airline passengers and crews.
While turbulence-related fatalities are quite rare, injuries have piled up over the years. Some meteorologists and aviation analysts note that reports of turbulence encounters also have been increasing and point to the potential impacts that climate change may have on flying conditions.
Most incidents of planes hitting bumpy air are minor, however, and airlines have made steady improvements to reduce accident rates from turbulence over time. Experts advise air travelers to stay vigilant, stressing the importance of wearing a seat belt whenever possible as a first line of protection.
Ambulances are seen at the airport where a London-Singapore flight that encountered severe turbulence was diverted to, in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
WHAT IS TURBULENCE?
Turbulence is essentially unstable air that moves in a non-predictable fashion. Most people associate it with heavy storms. But the most dangerous type is clear-air turbulence, which often occurs with no visible warning in the sky ahead.
Clear-air turbulence happens most often in or near the high-altitude rivers of air called jet streams. The culprit is wind shear, which is when two huge air masses close to each other move at different speeds. If the difference in speed is big enough, the atmosphere can’t handle the strain, and it breaks into turbulent patterns like eddies in water.
“When you get strong wind shear near the jet stream, it can cause the air to (overturn). And that creates these chaotic motions in the air,” Thomas Guinn, chair of applied aviation sciences department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, explained.
HOW COMMON ARE TURBULENCE-RELATED INJURIES?
Tracking the total number of turbulence-related injuries around the world is difficult. But some individual countries publish national data.
More than one-third of all airline incidents in the United States from 2009 through 2018 were related to turbulence, and most of them resulted in one or more serious injuries but no damage to the plane, the National Transportation Safety Board reported.
Between 2009 and 2022, 163 people were injured seriously enough during turbulence events to require hospital treatment for at least two days, according to NTSB figures. Most of them were flight attendants, who are particularly at risk since they are more likely to be out of their seats during a flight.
Investigations are underway into what happened during Tuesday’s Singapore Airlines flight. The carrier said the Boeing 777-300ER descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes after hitting severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean.
Preliminary casualty figures from the airport and a hospital in Bangkok, where the plane headed from London to Singapore landed in stormy weather, indicated that in addition to the one death, six or seven passengers were severely injured. Dozens of other travelers and crew members were reported to have suffered moderate or less serious injuries.
“It’s not uncommon to have turbulence encounters that cause minor injuries up to, say, a broken bone,” said Larry Cornman, a project scientist at the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Atmospheric Research who has long studied turbulence. “But fatalities are very, very rare — especially for large transport aircraft.”
According to Stuart Fox, director of flight and technical operations at the International Air Transport Association, the last clear air turbulence-related death reported from a major carrier took place in 1997. A few fatalities on smaller planes have been reported since, including a death on a private jet last year, Fox said.
Now-standardized safety procedures have significantly helped prevent more cases of serious injuries over the years. Fox noted. They include reviewing weather forecasts, having pilots report when they encounter turbulence and suspending cabin service when planes hit rough air.
CAN PILOTS AVOID TURBULENCE?
Pilots use a variety of methods to avoid turbulence, including using a weather radar display. Sometimes they can simply see and fly around thunderstorms.
But clear-air turbulence “is altogether another animal,” according to Doug Moss, a former airline pilot and safety consultant. It can be devastating, he said, “because the time before the incident can be very calm, and people are caught off-guard.”
Air traffic controllers will warn pilots after another plane runs into clear-air turbulence, Moss said. Many pilots also look at the upper-level jet streams along their route for signs of wind shear, then plan to fly above, below or around those areas, he said.
Modern planes are strong enough to handle just about any turbulence. Cabin areas such as overhead bins may receive cosmetic damage, “but these don’t impact the structural integrity of the planes,” Moss said.
Members of a rescue team discuss after a London-Singapore flight was diverted to Bangkok due to severe turbulence, in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
IS CLIMATE CHANGE CAUSING TURBULENCE TO INCREASE?
Some scientists note that reports of turbulence encounters are on the rise. There are a number of possible explanations for that, but several researchers have pointed to potential climate impacts.
Guinn, of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, explains that some predict climate change could alter the jet stream and up the wind shear, which would consequently drive up turbulence in the air.
In a statement Tuesday, Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in England, said there was “strong evidence that turbulence is increasing because of climate change.”
Williams said his research team recently discovered that severe clear-air turbulence in the North Atlantic has increased by 55% since 1979, for example. The team’s latest projections signal that severe turbulence in the jet streams could double or triple in the coming decades if global conditions continue as expected, he said.
Still, others say other factors could also be at play. Cornman notes that there could be a rise in overall air traffic — which may increase turbulence encounters as the number of flight tracks, including those in areas of more turbulence, goes up.
HOW CAN TRAVELERS STAY SAFE?
In short, buckle up. Turbulence can be tricky to predict, but experts stress that the first line of defense in the air is keeping the seat belt fastened, whenever possible.
“Planes are generally built to withstand turbulence,” Guinn said, noting that passengers not wearing their seat belts is a large source of injuries from in-flight turbulence. While no precaution is foolproof, wearing a seat belt greatly increases an individual’s chances of avoiding serious injuries, he said.
“Wear your seat belt,” Guinn said. he stressed. “That’s just a really quick fix to prevent injury.”
This story was first published on May 21, 2024. It was updated on May 22, 2024 to make clear that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor Thomas Guinn intended to say that strong wind shear causes air to overturn, not overflow.
