Bristol man dies during 'holiday of a lifetime' after severe turbulence on plane

Tributes have been paid to a Thornbury man who was having the "holiday of a lifetime" with his wife when he died during severe turbulence while on a Singapore Airlines flight from London. Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, a 73-year-old from Thornbury, tragically died during aircraft turbulence which is believed to have led to him having a heart attack.

This flight, which was operated by a 16 year old Boeing 777 jet, initially departed at 10.17pm on Monday, finding itself diverted to Bangkok where it made a landing at 3.45pm local time (9.45am BST) on Tuesday. Onboard were 211 passengers and 18 dedicated crew members, 47 of whom were passengers originating from the UK, reports the Mirror.

The airline confirmed that their flight came across "sudden extreme turbulence" over Myanmar's Irrawaddy Basin at the extraordinary height of 37,000 feet about 10 hours after taking off. Amid the chaos, the pilot declared a medical emergency and rerouted the flight to Bangkok for immediate action.

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The plane, bound for Singapore, had to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Geoffrey is believed to have been hurled from side-to-side when the plane was struck by treacherous conditions, and died at the scene, while there were around 30 people who were also injured in the incident and around six people also remain in a critical condition in hospital.

Geoff and his wife Linda - who is in hospital it is believed - were en route to Singapore for the initial part of their six-week "holiday of a lifetime" which included South East Asia and Australia destinations. It is understood Geoff had suffered heart problems in recent years.

A neighbour and close associate, Steve Dimond, 73, said: "It's a terrible shock, he was a really nice bloke. They were a lovely couple. They were very adventurous and had been planning the holiday for a long time. They spent last weekend with their grandchildren because they wouldn't be seeing them for a while.

"He was very fit and active. He was very involved with amateur dramatics and was helping me make scenery for our new production. He was a good singer, a fine actor, he was on the committee, he loved musical theatre. He and his wife like live music, all sorts, folk jazz, everything."

Lizzie Adkins, 48, from Tetbury, Gloucestershire, shared her heartbreak over the loss of Geoff, who had been eagerly anticipating a dream holiday with his wife before their trip. She expressed her disbelief at his passing and reminisced about the couple's passion for travel.

She said: "One thing I can tell you is that Geoff was just one of the best humans ever. He lived life to the full and I can't believe he has gone. Both he and his wife Linda were just good, good people. They were a unit. They loved each other so much they were the loves of one another's lives. They loved travelling and at one point had a property in France they used to visit but this was the holiday of a lifetime."

Singapore Airlines said: “Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, operating from London Heathrow to Singapore on May 20, encountered severe turbulence en-route. We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board. Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.”

In an update published on social media on Tuesday afternoon, Singapore Airlines said: “The nationalities of the passengers are as follows: 56 from Australia, two from Canada, one from Germany, three from India, two from Indonesia, one from Iceland, four from Ireland, one from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, two from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, five from the Philippines, 41 from Singapore, one from South Korea, two from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and four from the United States of America.”