A 73-year-old British tourist died from a fatal heart attack after his plane encountered extreme turbulence, an inquest has heard. Geoff Kitchen, from Thornbury in south Gloucestershire, was travelling on a Singapore Airlines service from London Heathrow to Singapore on 21 May 2024.
Avon Coroners' Court heard Mr Kitchen was seated next to his wife Linda when the Boeing 777 experienced severe turbulence while nearing the south western region of Myanmar. The plane was diverted to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, where Mr Kitchen was pronounced dead. His wife, who suffered serious injuries, was taken to hospital along with numerous other passengers.
Coroner's narrative conclusion
Dr Peter Harrowing, assistant coroner for Avon, gave a narrative conclusion at Wednesday's hearing regarding Mr Kitchen's death. "On the morning of 21 May 2024, Geoff Kitchen, who had a history of coronary artery disease, was a passenger on a commercial flight from London to Singapore," Dr Harrowing said. "It encountered severe turbulence. Mr Kitchen was thrown from his seat and landed on an adjacent passenger.
"He was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The aircraft was diverted and landed at an airport in Bangkok, where Mr Kitchen was confirmed deceased. Geoff Kitchen died of cardiac failure as a result of the aircraft he was a passenger on encountering severe turbulence."
Mr Kitchen, who had worked in insurance before retiring, and his wife, a former careers adviser, had set off from Heathrow airport for a six-week trip to Singapore, Indonesia and Australia.
Wife's account of the incident
In a statement delivered at the inquest, Mrs Kitchen, aged 74, described how she had been sitting in her designated seat with her seatbelt fastened when the incident unfolded. She recounted that her husband had been listening to a podcast when she began to sense turbulence, followed by a "huge drop or lunge" and she felt "incredible pain".
"I realised my husband was pressing me to the side and that's what caused the injury to my back," she told the hearing. "I carried on screaming. Eventually, two passengers lifted my husband off me. He was unconscious. I was in a lot of pain."
Mrs Kitchen detailed how she was "bleeding profusely" from a head wound and was relocated across the aisle by other passengers. "My husband was moved to the front of the section and placed on the floor," she stated. "Many people helped to give my husband CPR. No-one told me that my husband had died. After landing, I was placed on a red stretcher."
Medical findings and flight details
Mrs Kitchen remained unaware of her husband's passing until two days afterwards. She remained in hospital for 10 days before being flown back to Bristol, where she stayed for a further week in hospital. A preliminary post-mortem conducted in Thailand concluded that Mr Kitchen had died from congestive heart failure. The inquest heard that he had undergone a procedure to have stents fitted to his right coronary artery in April 2019.
Nevertheless, a follow-up examination in October of that year indicated he had returned to "normal exercise capacity", according to a statement from his GP. Dr Edward Sheffield, a consultant pathologist, carried out a post-mortem examination on Mr Kitchen's body in Bristol. He recorded the cause of death as cardiac failure resulting from coronary artery atheroma and the physiological effects of aeroplane turbulence.
A report into the incident, partially read aloud by Dr Harrowing, revealed that 56 passengers had sustained serious injuries, 23 had suffered minor injuries, and one individual, Mr Kitchen, had lost his life. "The aircraft was cruising at 37,000ft when it was approaching the west coast of south-western Myanmar," Dr Harrowing read. "At 7.49am, the aircraft flew past a waypoint when the aircraft experienced severe turbulence. By 7.53am, the aircraft had stabilised."
Crew members reported the severe turbulence, with a Mayday call issued at 8.01am alongside a request to reroute to Bangkok. The aircraft touched down at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 8.45am, where medical teams were on standby. Mr Kitchen was pronounced dead at the scene.
Legal proceedings and family statement
The coroner concluded: "I am satisfied that it was the physiological effect of the aircraft turbulence which precipitated the cardiac arrest and ultimately Geoff's demise."
Mrs Kitchen – who suffered spinal fractures in the incident – has engaged solicitors at Irwin Mitchell, which has launched High Court proceedings seeking compensation from Singapore Airlines. In a statement released via the law firm, she described how "absolutely devastating" her husband's death had been for both herself and the couple's two children and four grandchildren.
"Losing Geoff was a crushing blow to the whole family as we all thought he would be around to see his grandchildren grow up," she said. "We had a happy and fulfilled marriage and now I've lost my soulmate."
Anthe Korelidou, the specialist aviation solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, described the ordeal endured by Mrs Kitchen and fellow passengers aboard the flight as "extremely traumatic". "While it's more than two years since Geoff's death, Linda and the rest of her family continue to have a number of questions and concerns about what happened and if more could have been done to prevent their injuries," she said. "All Linda wants is for the most thorough investigations to be conducted. The issuing of High Court proceedings is a major milestone in being able to provide Geoff's loved ones with the answers they deserve."
