Inquest links turbulence to passenger’s fatal cardiac arrest

An inquest concluded that severe turbulence aboard a Singapore Airlines flight precipitated the cardiac arrest that killed Geoff Kitchen, 73, as the plane travelled from London to Singapore in May 2024. The coroner’s account said 56 passengers were seriously injured and 23 sustained minor injuries. Kitchen was the only passenger reported dead. Assistant coroner Peter Harrowing said Kitchen had a history of coronary artery disease and was thrown from his seat during the turbulence. The aircraft diverted to Bangkok, where he was pronounced dead. A pathologist attributed his cardiac failure to coronary artery disease and the physiological effects of the turbulence. The inquest heard that Kitchen had previously undergone a procedure to fit stents in a coronary artery. The flight was approaching southwestern Myanmar when the severe turbulence occurred on May 21, 2024, according to an incident report partially read at the inquest. The report said the aircraft had stabilised by 7:53 a.m. The crew later made a Mayday call and requested a diversion to Bangkok, where the plane landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Medical personnel were waiting there.