Singapore Airlines Flight: Who Was Geoffrey Kitchen, Man Who Died In Turbulence, What Caused His Death?

Geoffrey Kitchen died likely due to a heart attack on the Singapore Airlines flight amid severe turbulence, said Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, to where the SIA flight was on Tuesday diverted under emergency.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 22 May 2024 2:30 pm

Geoffrey Kitchen is survived by a son, who runs a window cleaning business, and a daughter who lives in Wales Photo: Facebook

The passenger who died in the ill-fated Singapore Airlines flight after it was hit by severe turbulence was a 73-year old British, identified as Geoffrey Kitchen, retired insurance professional turned amateur dramatics performer.

Geoffrey Kitchen was travelling to Singapore on Monday on the 10 pm flight from Heathrow, a report by The Guardian mentioned, adding that he and his wife, Linda, were to stop over en route to Australia, where they planned to enjoy a six-week holiday.

“He was a well-loved man. He was clever, funny, a fantastic performer, deeply caring about theatre. It was his passion,” the report quoted Jill Dimond, a close friend and neighbour, as saying.

About Geoffrey Kitchen, Man Who Died In Singapore Airlines Flight Turbulence

Geoffrey Kitchen, originally from Bristol, had lived in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, most of his life, moving into his current semi-detached home in 2012.

Geoffrey Kitchen is survived by a son, who runs a window cleaning business, and a daughter who lives in Wales, The Guardian report said.

Geoffrey Kitchen set up Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in retirement and performed in a Dick Whittington pantomime last Christmas. The theatre group has two upcoming productions this year.

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Geoffrey Kitchen had recently campaigned for the reopening of Armstrong Hall in Thornbury, which had previously been used for theatre productions. “Our community is much poorer for the lack of this facility; and the creative forces that have long existed are in danger of fading away. It is not too late to bring the complex back to life, but this is now extremely urgent,” the report quoted Kitchen's open letter.

What Caused Geoffrey Kitchen's Death

As many as 30 passengers have been receiving treatment for their injuries in hospitals in Bangkok after the Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on May 20 encountered "sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure".

The remaining passengers aboard the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft carrying 229 people were examined and treated at the airport, the carrier said.

SIA is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities in probing this incident, SIA Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong said.

The nationalities of the passengers are as follows: 56 from Australia, three Indians, two from Canada, one from Germany, two Indonesians, one from Iceland, four from Ireland, one from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, two from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, five from the Philippines, 41 Singaporeans, one South Korean, two from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and four from the US.