A British woman whose husband died following severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight that was diverted to Thailand has launched legal proceedings against the airline over the incident.
Linda Kitchen, 74, from Thornbury near Bristol, suffered serious injuries, including a broken back, when the aircraft suddenly plunged about 6,000ft (1,828m) during the flight from London Heathrow to Singapore in May 2024.
Her husband, Geoff Kitchen, 73, was fatally injured during the turbulence, which struck while the aircraft was flying over Myanmar.
The plane was subsequently diverted to Bangkok, Thailand, where it made an emergency landing.
Kitchen has now begun proceedings at the High Court seeking damages from Singapore Airlines to help fund specialist support for the injuries she sustained.
“When I got separated from Geoff, I knew he was in a bad way, but nothing prepared me for hearing he had died. It was absolutely devastating,” she said.
The couple had been travelling on a six-week holiday that was due to take them to Singapore, Indonesia and Australia when the incident occurred.
Kitchen said the flight had experienced turbulence earlier over Europe and had been “shaky” over the water, but conditions became dramatically worse about 10 hours into the journey.
“There had been some turbulence over Europe, and it had been shaky over the water, but it was around 10 hours into the flight when we encountered the main turbulence,” Kitchen said.
“It was so severe; it felt like the aircraft was dropping. I noticed my Kindle and Geoff’s phone had fallen to the floor, and I thought the plane was going down.”
As the aircraft rapidly descended, Geoff fell onto his wife, pinning her against the armrest. Fellow passengers eventually helped move him, while a doctor on board attempted to revive him through CPR.
Kitchen was taken to hospital, while her husband remained on the aircraft.
She said she did not learn of his death until two days later.
Geoff is understood to have suffered a heart attack after the aircraft suddenly dropped at high altitude.
The turbulence was severe enough to cause oxygen masks to deploy inside the cabin, while numerous passengers were injured.
Kitchen spent 10 days receiving treatment in Thailand before being airlifted back to Bristol. She said the journey was largely a blur because of the pain she was experiencing.
“I spent 10 days in hospital before I was airlifted back to Bristol. I was in so much pain that the journey was a blur. Once back in the UK, I remained in hospital for around a week and, following my discharge, required significant assistance at home,” Kitchen said.
Anthe Korelidou, a specialist aviation lawyer representing Kitchen, said the incident demonstrated the seriousness of the turbulence and its consequences for the couple.
“That Geoff was fatally injured and Linda suffered severe injuries vividly highlights the severity of what happened.
“While it’s more than two years since Geoff’s death, Linda and the rest of her family continue to have a number of questions and concerns about what happened and if more could have been done to prevent their injuries.
“All Linda wants is for the most thorough investigations to be conducted. The issuing of High Court proceedings is a major milestone in being able to provide Geoff’s loved ones with the answers they deserve.”
The BBC has contacted Singapore Airlines for comment.
