Brit on ’holiday of a lifetime’ dies after severe turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight
Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, 73, was on a "holiday of a lifetime" said a neighbour after he tragically died on a Singapore Airlines flight from London that encountered severe turbulence
A "fit and active man" who was on the "holiday of a lifetime" with his wife, died during severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight from London.
Singapore Airlines said the flight encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” over Myanmar ’s Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure, with the pilot declaring a medical emergency and diverting the plane to Bangkok. The aircraft was on its way from Heathrow Airport to Singapore when it met the extreme conditions and reportedly plummeted.
Images posted on social media showed damage to the ceiling of the cabin, and food, cutlery and other debris strewn on the floor in the aftermath of the incident. The flight, operated by a 16-year-old Boeing 777 jet, departed at 10.17pm on Monday and was diverted to Bangkok, landing at 3.45pm local time (9.45am BST) on Tuesday. There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board – including 47 passengers from the UK.
Tragically 73-year-old British man, Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, died during the turbulence from what is believed to have been a heart attack, while his wife remains in hospital. He is believed to have been hurled from side-to-side when the plane was struck by treacherous conditions at 37,000ft above the Indian Ocean. The plane, bound for Singapore, had to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. There were around 30 people who were also injured in the incident and around six people also remain in a critical condition in hospital.
The interior of Singapore Airline flight after the emergency landing ( Image: REUTERS)
Geoff and his wife Linda were flying to Singapore on the first leg of a six-week “holiday of a lifetime” to South East Asia and Australia. It is understood Geoff had suffered heart problems in recent years. Neighbour and close friend Steve Dimond, also 73, said: “It’s a terrible shock, he was a really nice bloke. They were a lovely couple. They were very adventurous and had been planning the holiday for a long time. They spent last weekend with their grandchildren because they wouldn’t be seeing them for a while.
“He was very fit and active. He was very involved with amateur dramatics and was helping me make scenery for our new production. He was a good singer, a fine actor, he was on the committee, he loved musical theatre. He and his wife like live music, all sorts, folk jazz, everything.”
And another friend called the British holidaymaker “one of the best humans ever”. Lizzie Adkins, 48, from Tetbury, Gloucester, told how 73-year old grandfather Geoff had been excitedly looking forward to the holiday of a lifetime with his wife before the trip and spoke of the pair’s love of travelling.
She said: “One thing I can tell you is that Geoff was just one of the best humans ever. He lived life to the full and I can’t believe he has gone. Both he and his wife Linda were just good, good people. They were a unit. They loved each other so much they were the loves of one another’s lives. They loved travelling and at one point had a property in France they used to visit but this was the holiday of a lifetime.”
Humanist funeral celebrant Lizzie added: “I was friends with Geoff for 20 years and he was very kind to me. We’ve done various theatre productions together and he’s always been steady and sensible and just a real voice of reason but he’s also always championed things that are right.”
Singapore Airlines said: “Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, operating from London Heathrow to Singapore on May 20, encountered severe turbulence en-route. We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board. Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.”
In an update published on social media on Tuesday afternoon, Singapore Airlines said: “The nationalities of the passengers are as follows: 56 from Australia, two from Canada, one from Germany, three from India, two from Indonesia, one from Iceland, four from Ireland, one from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, two from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, five from the Philippines, 41 from Singapore, one from South Korea, two from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and four from the United States of America.”
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