Tragedy struck on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 hit rough air and experienced extreme turbulence. As a result 73-year-old Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen died. Authorities at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok believe had a heart attack onboard.
The flight originally departed from Heathrow Airport in London and was supposed to travel to Singapore. At 37,000 feet above Myanmar, the trouble occurred. The Boeing 777-300ER fell 6,000 feet. It was diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing.
Anna Proctor, Geoffrey’s daughter, spoke to The Telegraph and paid tribute to her dad. She gushed that he was an "extremely kind, loving and gentle man." He was a retired grandpa who was a devoted trustee of a local music theater. She went on to say he was “a wonderful man and he had years ahead of him and obviously we are completely devastated. He was a legend, he was."
Thornbury Musical Group, the musical theater organization Geoffrey was a member of, also paid tribute to its late friend. "Geoff was always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity and always did what was right for the group,” the group stated on Facebook. "His commitment to TMTG was unquestionable and he has served the group and the local community of Thornbury for over 35 years, holding various offices within the group, including Chairman, Treasurer and most recently Secretary. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family at this difficult time, and we ask that you respect their privacy."
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Geoffrey was one of around 210 passengers and 18 crew members on board the flight. Seventy people were injured in the sudden turbulence. Those who were not injured continued their travels. The airline confirmed that 131 passengers and 12 crew members took a relief flight to Singapore.
