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One person died and more than 20 others were injured on a Singapore Airlines plane which experienced severe turbulence during its journey on Tuesday, May 21. For former pilot Gérard Feldzer, president of Aviation Sans Frontières, such an event, “extremely rare”, is “without a doubt” the result of a phenomenon well known to meteorologists, wind shear.
One dead, more than 20 injured… a Singapore Airlines flight connecting London to Singapore turned into a disaster on Tuesday, May 21, after encountering “severe turbulence”. At 3:45 p.m. local time in Thailand (10:45 a.m. in France), the Boeing which was operating flight SQ321 landed at Suvarnabhumi airport and ambulances rushed to the plane, sirens blaring and flashing lights on.
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“We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew members,” the airline said on Facebook.
Although several investigations have yet to shed light on these facts, there is “no doubt”, according to former pilot and president of Aviation sans frontières Gérard Feldzer, that this tragedy is the result of a “wind shear”. Also called “shear” in English, this meteorological phenomenon designates a rapid variation in the speed or direction of the wind over a short distance, whether horizontally or vertically. It generally causes strong turbulence, and more particularly presents risks during takeoff and of landing.
“Very dangerous” clouds, “almost impossible to avoid”
“Certain areas of the globe, such as the Bay of Bengal or the surroundings of the Himalayas, are particularly conducive to these shears,” observes Gérard Feldzer. “We generally make huge detours to avoid them, because we know that these winds can be very dangerous.”
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PHONGSAK SUKSI/AFPTV – –
Despite the increasing improvement in flight technologies, “some of these clouds are almost impossible to anticipate”, “even in clear and open areas”, adds the former pilot. He recalls that in 40 years, the number of turbulences on board planes has increased by 50% because of global warming.
Flight tracking data indicates the plane fell more than 1,800 meters in just five minutes over the Andaman Sea. The incident occurred as parts of Thailand were hit by thunderstorms at the start of the rainy season.
