Passengers left surrounded by chaotic mess after sudden bout of turbulence hits aircraft
- Meals ended up in the aisles and coffee on the ceiling after plane lost altitude
- Eleven passengers and one crew member were injured on the flight
- One passenger took pictures of the mess and posted them online
By JAMES RUSH PUBLISHED: 02:22 GMT, 4 June 2013 | UPDATED: 04:40 GMT, 4 June 2013
This is what happens when you hit an extreme bout of turbulence just after breakfast has been served. Passengers on a recent Singapore Airlines flight were left surrounded by the chaotic mess after their flight hit the rough patch and suddenly lost altitude. A total of 11 passengers and one crew member were injured in the incident on flight SQ308 from Singapore to London.
Passengers were left surrounded by this chaotic mess after the plane hit turbulence
Mr Cross said anything that wasn't tied down hit the ceiling when the plane lost altitude
Coffee can be seen on the ceiling of the Singapore to Heathrow flight following the turbulence
One passenger on the flight, who saw his coffee end up on the ceiling, managed to take these pictures which he posted to Instagram. Passengers Alan Cross told ABC News those on the flight had been warned to expect turbulence and that the breakfast service would be temporarily suspended. A short while after the seat belt sign came on, the captain issued an order for all flight attendants to immediately take their seats.
Mr Cross said the subsequent turbulence felt 'like being in an elevator with a cut cable or free-falling from some amusement park ride.' He said everything that was not tied down, including people, hit the ceiling. The airline has told Australia News: 'Eleven passengers and one crew member sustained minor injuries when the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of altitude and were attended to by medical personnel on arrival at Heathrow Airport. Seat-belt signs were on at the time and meal services had already been suspended.'
Flight attendants were told to immediately take their seats just before the aircraft hit the turbulence
Mr Cross said the cabin crew and passengers were 'amazing' in the aftermath, as 'a calm and efficient clean-up' was underway
A total of 11 passengers and one crew member were injured on the flight
Mr Cross said: 'The cabin crew was amazing in the aftermath, as were fellow passengers who helped everyone around them then in a calm and efficient clean-up.' He said crew checked for injuries before cleaning up the mess and gave passengers boxes of chocolates as they departed at Heathrow, where they were met by paramedics. Earlier this year scientists suggested climate change could result in flights from London to New York getting much bumpier in the future. Researchers from East Anglia and Reading universities analysed supercomputer simulations of the atmospheric jet stream over the North Atlantic and claimed climate change will increase air turbulence.
They found the chances of hitting significant turbulence will rise by 40 to 170 per cent by 2050, with the likeliest outcome being a doubling of the airspace containing significant turbulence at any time. Dr Paul Williams from the University of Reading and the University of East Anglia’s Dr Manoj Joshi said the average strength of turbulence will also increase, by between 10 and 40 per cent.Dr Williams said: ‘Most air passengers will have experienced the uncomfortable feeling of mid-flight air turbulence. Our research suggests that we'll be seeing the “fasten seatbelts” sign turned on more often in the decades ahead.'
