A Singapore Airlines flight hit by severe turbulence experienced a rapid change in gravitational force and a 54m (178ft) altitude drop in four seconds, an investigation has found.
It comes after a 73-year-old British man died from a suspected heart attack after the incident on 21 May on the London-Singapore flight.
Dozens more were injured after passengers described people being “launched into the ceiling” and overhead lockers – with 28 people still in Thai hospitals after making an emergency landing.
The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau said: “The vertical acceleration changed from negative 1.5G to positive 1.5G within 4 seconds. This likely resulted in the occupants who were airborne to fall back down.”
It added: “The rapid changes in G over the 4.6 seconds duration resulted in an altitude drop of 178ft (54m), from 37,362 ft to 37,184ft. This sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers.”
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