A plane flying from London to Singapore was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok due to severe turbulence it experienced. Unfortunately, by the time he managed to land, it was already too late. 30 people were injured and at least one died. It can be incredible. If someone dies due to the turbulence of a plane, we think it is because it crashed. However this Boeing 777-300ER companies Singapore Airlines was able to land correctly.
At this time, no information about the cause of death of this passenger has been released. Not about the injuries of the others. If you compare this to what has happened on other flights in the past, this may have been due to injuries caused by objects in the luggage that came out of their compartments. Or also because passengers could be thrown or fall if they walked down the aisle or not wearing a seat belt.
Sometimes turbulence on an airplane can be prevented. The crew warns passengers that they are about to cross a seat belt zone. The notification is usually sent before they notice the movement. However, in other cases, everything happens so quickly that there is little room for action. Perhaps this is what happened to this plane, although, logically, it will now be necessary to investigate what happened.
What causes turbulence on an airplane?
Turbulence in an airplane occurs when it passes through areas where air moves unevenly. This can happen if it encounters obstacles, such as mountains, or due to changes in pressure due to weather events.
This uneven motion can cause the aircraft to suddenly change altitude or pitch, sometimes causing pilots to lose consciousness. lose control. Even parts of the plane’s structure, such as the tail, can break, causing an immediate crash.
Fortunately, airplanes are becoming increasingly better equipped to handle turbulence. Its structure supports pressure differences and uneven air movement. Passengers also hardly feel these changes in pressure inside due to the sealing of the cabin. But what has not yet been completely resolved is sudden movement which can cause accidents among people in flight.
For example, in the case of turbulence on the Singapore plane, it is known that it occurred in just three minutes. fly at an altitude of over 11,000 meters go down to 1830 meters.
If passengers were walking down the aisle at the time or were not wearing seat belts, it is possible that some may have been ejected. Even if they were wearing seat belts, they could be hit by an object inside the car. Obviously, such events also cause a lot of anxiety among passengers, which can be fatal if someone has heart disease. But in general, it is not usually a cause of death due to turbulence on an airplane.
This is not the first time something like this has happened
Airplane accidents caused by turbulence are very rare, but not impossible. In fact, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration, between 2009 and 2021. 30 seriously injured among passengers and 116 among crew members all flights departing from this country. Considering that millions of people fly every year, the numbers are extremely low.
This is because severe turbulence is not actually common. At the altitudes at which airplanes typically fly, only 3% of the atmosphere typically has light turbulence, 1% has moderate turbulence, and much less than 1% has severe turbulence. These figures refer to normal turbulence. Turbulence can also occur on an airplane. for exceptional reasonslike a storm.
Recent cases of death due to turbulence on an airplane include one that occurred in March last year, when an American woman died during a business flight. Soon after, they were reported in the same country. 7 hospitalizations due to turbulence between passengers on a commercial flight.
Swiss cheese model against airplane turbulence
To prevent serious consequences of aircraft turbulence, pilots follow the so-called principle: Swiss cheese model. This was also used at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and is basically about taking as many precautions as possible so that the strengths of some cover the weaknesses of others, like a slice of cheese covers the holes in whatever is underneath.
In case of turbulence in airplanes, the first thing to do is think through your routes very well, avoiding, as far as possible, crossing areas of severe turbulence. Incidents have been reported due to turbulence in aircraft in which the pilots decided to deviate from the planned route. This should not be done unless there is no other choice.
On the other hand, we have glidervery well prepared to withstand the onslaught of air vibrations. Pilots know the maneuvers act in the event of turbulence, which acts like another piece of Swiss cheese. And of course there is seat belts.
If crew members suffer more injuries than passengers, it is because they spend more time without wearing seat belts. In fact, accidents often occur when serving food, for example. Despite this, it is still something exceptional. If we follow the crew’s instructions and fasten our seat belts when necessary, an incident like the one on the Singapore plane will be very rare. It’s not impossible, but it’s not impossible for a flowerpot to fall on our head while we’re out for a walk. What happened to these passengers is horrific and should be studied without causing panic.
Source: Hiper Textual
