Wife of British man who died after turbulence sues Singapore Airlines

Linda Kitchen, 74, has initiated legal proceedings against Singapore Airlines (SIA) in Britain, seeking compensation for her severe spinal injuries sustained during a turbulent flight in May 2024, BBC reported. Her husband, Geoff Kitchen, 73, tragically perished on the same flight. The Kitchen family has filed two claims, one by Linda and another on behalf of her late husband's estate, according to The Independent.

Several other passengers, including Bradley Richards, Jack Jenkins, Hannah Fullerton, Andrew Dawood, Bryan Matthews, and Pauline and Michael Rainey, have also taken legal action against SIA. In the incident, the flight SQ321, a Boeing 777-300ER, encountered severe turbulence over Myanmar while en route from London to Singapore. Linda Kitchen believed the aircraft was about to crash, and her husband collapsed on her, pinning her against a seat armrest.

She was airlifted to hospital in Bangkok, where she spent 10 days and then another week in Britain, requiring substantial assistance post-discharge. Linda discovered her husband's death two days after the turbulence, which devastated her, The Independent and BBC reported. She yearns for clarity regarding the circumstances surrounding her husband's demise.

Specialist aviation lawyer Anthe Korelidou representing the Kitchen family said they still seek answers about what transpired and whether additional preventive measures could have been taken. A coroner's inquest into Linda Kitchen's death is pending. The final report by Singapore's Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) in May 2026 indicated that Linda Kitchen suffered heart failure and pulmonary edema due to convectively induced turbulence, likely originating from a rapidly growing cloud with strong updrafts and downdrafts.

Despite the flight crew not detecting any adverse weather on their navigational displays, the aircraft's weather radar failed to identify the hazardous weather before the turbulence. The seat belt sign had been activated when the turbulence commenced, but it struck just 17 seconds later, leaving insufficient time for cabin announcements.

Rapid shifts in gravitational force prompted some passengers, including Linda Kitchen, to be propelled into the air briefly before plummeting back down. Apart from Linda Kitchen, 56 others sustained serious injuries, 23 had minor injuries, while 149 remained unharmed. In June 2024, SIA extended US$10,000 to passengers with minor injuries and provided an advance payment of US$25,000 to those with more severe injuries to cover their immediate needs.

Following the incident, SIA apologized and implemented various measures to bolster turbulence management, such as advanced turbulence monitoring tools on crew tablets, updated guidance for flight crews on weather radar under-detection, refresher training for flight crews on turbulence management and in-flight procedures, and persistent reminders for passengers to secure their seat belts.