SIA 2025 turbulence injuries highlight limits of storm cloud avoidance, safety report finds
SINGAPORE — A Singapore air safety investigation has found that turbulence can strike aircraft even when they main...
A Singapore air safety investigation has revealed that turbulence can occur even when aircraft maintain the recommended distance above storm clouds, as demonstrated by an incident in November 2025 involving Singapore Airlines flight SQ919. The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) found that the turbulence, which injured five cabin crew members, extended beyond the tops of storm clouds detected by weather radars.
On November 14, 2025, flight SQ919, an Airbus A350-900 en route from Manila to Singapore, encountered turbulence at around 7:53 pm. Despite being 10,000ft above the storm clouds, the aircraft experienced rapid changes in vertical acceleration, leading to injuries for one crew member and minor injuries for four others. The pilots had anticipated storm clouds reaching 51,000ft and kept a safety margin of 5,000ft, but the turbulence struck during a descent at 38,450ft.
The aircraft landed safely in Singapore at 8:41 pm. Singapore Airlines stated that pilots and cabin crew receive regular training on managing turbulence.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
