KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Rapid changes in the gravitational force led to a 178-feet (54-meter) altitude drop of a Singapore Airlines flight that left one passenger dead and many others who were not buckled up injured in extreme turbulence last week, a preliminary investigation by Singapore’s Transport Ministry said Wednesday.
A 73-year-old British man died of a suspected heart attack and dozens were injured after the Boeing 777, which was flying from London’s Heathrow airport to Singapore on May 21, ran into turbulence that hurled people and items around the cabin. The plane, with 211 passengers and 18 crew members, made an emergency landing in Bangkok.
Singapore's Transport Ministry said investigators, including those from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing, had compiled a chronology of events based on the preliminary analysis of the flight's data and cockpit voice recorders.
Early findings showed the aircraft was passing over the south of Myanmar at 37,000 feet (11,277 meters) feet when it began to experience vibration due to changes in the gravitational force, the ministry said. The plane then climbed to an altitude of up to 37,362 feet (11,387 meters) and increased speed possibly due to an updraft, it said. The plane's autopilot then sought to pitch the jet downwards to its earlier altitude.
“The aircraft experienced a rapid change in G (gravitational force) ... this likely resulted in the occupants who were not belted up to become airborne” before falling back down later as the plane rose and fell, the ministry said. “The rapid changes in G over the 4.6 second duration resulted in an altitude drop of 178 feet ... this sequence of events likely caused the injuries to the crew and passengers.”
During the turbulence, it said a pilot was heard calling out saying the fasten seat belt sign had been switched on. It said recorded data indicated the pilots manually controlled the plane for 21 seconds to stabilize it before reengaging the autopilot.
The plane made a normal, controlled descent and didn't encounter further turbulence until it landed in Bangkok almost an hour later, the ministry said, adding that investigations are ongoing.
Passengers have described the “sheer terror” of the aircraft shuddering, loose items flying and injured people lying paralyzed on the floor of the plane.
Twenty-six people remained hospitalized in Bangkok on Wednesday. Hospital authorities earlier said injuries included spinal or spinal cord damage, skull or brain injuries and damage to bones or internal organs.
It was unclear what caused the turbulence. Most people associate turbulence with heavy storms, but the most dangerous type is so-called clear air turbulence. Wind shear can occur in wispy cirrus clouds or even in clear air near thunderstorms, as differences in temperature and pressure create powerful currents of fast-moving air.
According to a 2021 report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, turbulence accounted for 37.6% of all accidents on larger commercial airlines between 2009 and 2018. The Federal Aviation Administration has said there were 146 serious injuries from turbulence from 2009 to 2021.
An Australian passenger, center, who was injured on a flight that was battered by severe turbulence, talks to reporters at Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, May 23, 2024. The airline's Flight SQ321 was flying from London’s Heathrow airport to Singapore when it hit the turbulence Tuesday, bashing people around inside the plane. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft of Singapore Airlines, is parked after the SQ321 London-Singapore flight, that encountered severe turbulence, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, near Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, May 22, 2024. The Singapore Airlines flight descended 6,000 feet (around 1,800 meters) in about three minutes, the carrier said Tuesday. A British man died and authorities said dozens of passengers were injured, some severely. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — Hundreds of mostly exiled Tibetans gathered in India’s hillside town of Dharamshala to celebrate the birthday of the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, who turned 89 on Saturday.
The Dalai Lama has made the hillside town his headquarters since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Representatives of a Tibetan government-in-exile also reside there.
The main celebrations took place in Tsuglagkhang temple inside the complex where the spiritual leader lives. Tibetan and Buddhist flags adorned poles and railings.
A volunteer distributed Indian sweets to exiled Tibetan Buddhist nuns as teachers helped children with their make-up as they prepared to perform traditional dances.
While a colorful three-tiered cake was cut inside the temple, schoolchildren sang: “Happy Birthday His Holiness.”
Artists from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, dressed in traditional attire, played the drums and some marched with bagpipes inside the complex, drawing cheers and applause from the crowd. Then, Indian and Tibetan flags were hoisted, as the band played the two national anthems.
Tibetan and Indian officials sat on a slightly raised platform as photos of the Dalai Lama, some from his childhood, hung on pillars around them.
The Dalai Lama, however, wasn’t present. He is currently in the U.S. where he has undergone a knee replacement, according to his secretary.
Addressing the gathering on Saturday, Penpa Tsering, the president of the Tibetan government-in-exile, announced that several events commemorating the Dalai Lama’s achievements would be held throughout the year.
China doesn't recognize the exiled Tibetan government and hasn’t held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.
Last month, a group of bipartisan U.S. lawmakers met with the Dalai Lama at his Dharamshala residence, sparking anger from China which views the exiled leader of Tibetan Buddhism as a dangerous separatist.
The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and says he only advocates substantial autonomy and protection of Tibet’s native Buddhist culture.
India considers Tibet to be part of China, though it hosts Tibetan exiles.
Exiled Tibetan school girls in a traditional costumes eat cakes and sweets as they wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
An exiled Tibetan wears an amulet with a portrait of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama before he performs a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of the spiritual leader at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Exiled Tibetan monks carry ceremonial offerings at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Penpa Tsering, President of Central Tibetan Administration, right, pays his respects in front of a ceremonial chair of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of the spiral leader at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Exiled Tibetans in ceremonial outfits wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
An exiled Tibetan applies eyeliner to another as they wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Exiled Tibetan children in ceremonial outfits wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
A large cake sits on a decorated table as Tibetan and Indian officials stand for their national anthems at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Exile Tibetans in a ceremonial dress perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Exiled Tibetans sit in front of a large Tibetan flag at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Exiled Tibetans watch a cultural performance from a balcony at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
A young exiled Tibetan girl gets her lips painted by her teacher before she performs a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Exiled Tibetan children in ceremonial outfits look on from a balcony as they wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Exiled Tibetans in a ceremonial outfits eat cakes as they wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Exiled Tibetan school children and volunteers put cakes on paper plates before distributing them to a gathering at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
A volunteer distributes Indian sweets to exile Tibetan Buddhist nuns at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
A band from the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts plays at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Exiled Tibetan school girls in a traditional costumes eat cakes and sweets as they wait to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Two boys in a traditional costumes wait for their turn to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
Tsering Dolma, a school girl, gets ready to perform a traditional dance at an event to celebrate the 89th birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Saturday, July 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)
