Turbulence passenger saw objects ‘flying in air’

A passenger on a flight where severe turbulence left one man dead says it hit just seconds after he put his seatbelt on.

Andrew Davies, originally from Stockton, was on a London to Singapore flight which suffered a sudden drop as a meal service was under way.

A 73-year-old British man has died from a suspected heart attack, and more than 30 people were injured.

Mr Davies described the flight as a “horrific and terrifying experience”.

“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,” Mr Davies said.

“I remember there was coffee on the ceiling and a woman covered with blood from a deep gash in her head.

“In the seat behind me there was a man who was motionless and they were trying to find a pulse and I got up and helped and they performed CPR but sadly he passed away.”

The Boeing 777-300ER was diverted to Bangkok, making an emergency landing at 15:45 local time (08:45 BST).

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

“The medics came on board, it was pretty calm and there was even a bit of camaraderie among the passengers, swapping stories and phone numbers.”

It is still not clear how events unfolded. Turbulence is most commonly caused by aircraft flying through cloud, but there is also “clear air” turbulence which is not visible on a jet’s weather radar.

Research has shown that climate change will make severe turbulence more likely in the futur