Widow of British man who died on turbulent SQ321 flight sues S'pore Airlines

The wife of a British man who died after severe turbulence hit a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight in May 2024 is seeking damages to help her access specialist support for a spinal injury she suffered in the incident.

Linda Kitchen, 74, has initiated proceedings at Britain's High Court, according to the BBC. Her late husband Geoffrey Kitchen reportedly suffered a fatal heart attack when flight SQ321 from London to Singapore suddenly plunged while flying over Myanmar on May 21, 2024.

Severe turbulence on SQ321 flight

Flight SQ321 experienced drastic changes in altitude within 4.6 seconds while flying over Myanmar.

Kitchen said there had been some turbulence earlier over Europe, but the aircraft was around 10 hours into the flight when it hit the main patch of severe turbulence.

"It was so severe; it felt like the aircraft was dropping," she told the BBC.

As the plane dropped, her husband fell on top of her, crushing her into the armrest of her seat. Other passengers helped move him, and a doctor on board began CPR.

The flight, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, was diverted to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok for an emergency landing.

Kitchen was taken to hospital, while her husband remained on the plane. She was told two days later that he had died, she told The Independent.

"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.

Kitchen spent 10 days in hospital before being airlifted back to Bristol, and needed significant assistance at home after being discharged from a further week in a UK hospital, according to the BBC.

She and her husband, married for 52 years, had been starting a six-week holiday to Singapore, Indonesia and Australia when the incident occurred.

Two separate claims filed

Anthe Korelidou, Kitchen's lawyer specialising in aviation cases, said that Kitchen's late husband being fatally injured and her suffering severe injuries "vividly highlights the severity of what happened".

Korelidou added that more than two years on, Kitchen and her family still have questions about what happened and whether more could have been done to prevent their injuries, and that she wants the most thorough investigations 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," Korelidou said.

According to the Independent, court papers reflect two separate claims from the Kitchen family, one filed on behalf of Linda Kitchen and another in her name on behalf of Geoffrey Kitchen's estate.

British court records also reportedly show that six other individuals have separately launched legal action against SIA.

Offered compensation to passengers in 2024

Responding to queries from the Straits Times on Aug. 29, SIA said it was unable to comment on matters before the courts.

SIA had offered compensation to passengers on the flight in 2024, including US$10,000 (S$13,500) for those with minor injuries, and an advance payment of US$25,000 (S$31,800) for those with serious injuries requiring long-term medical care who requested financial help.

The airline also said it would fully refund the airfare of all passengers on the flight, and apologised for the incident.

"Singapore Airlines deeply apologises to all passengers for the traumatic experience on board flight SQ321 on 20 May 2024. We are committed to providing our full support and assistance during this time," the airline wrote in its Facebook post on Jun. 11, 2024.

What were the investigation findings?

TSIB's investigation report, published in May 2026, had also found that the actions taken by the flight crew in response to the sudden turbulence were "understandable and appropriate" for the situation.

It also found that it cannot rule out the possibility that a malfunction of the onboard weather radar prevented the crew from detecting the presence of storm clouds along the plane's flight path.