A 74-year-old British woman whose husband died after severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight has launched legal proceedings against the airline. Linda Kitchen, from Thornbury near Bristol, suffered serious spinal injuries during Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 in May 2024. Her husband, Geoff Kitchen, 73, died on the flight after sustaining fatal injuries during the turbulence, with a suspected heart attack also reported.

Linda Kitchen has now begun proceedings at the High Court, seeking damages from Singapore Airlines to help meet the cost of specialist treatment and ongoing support for her back injury. Court papers reportedly contain two claims connected to the Kitchen family, including one brought by Linda and another made in her name on behalf of Geoff Kitchen’s estate. The family is also awaiting a coroner’s inquest into Geoff’s death.

The couple were travelling from London Heathrow to Singapore when the aircraft encountered severe turbulence while flying over Myanmar. According to the account provided in the source material, the plane experienced a sudden change in altitude during the incident. Linda suffered spinal fractures and spent 10 days in intensive care before being transferred to the UK for further treatment.

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Recalling the incident, Linda described the turbulence as extremely severe and said it felt as though the aircraft was dropping. She was thrown backwards and to the side, while Geoff fell onto her and became trapped against the armrest. Other passengers eventually helped move him towards an exit area, where a doctor was called and attempted CPR. Geoff subsequently died despite the medical efforts.

Linda’s aviation lawyer, Anthe Korelidou, said the family continued to have questions about the circumstances of the incident and whether more could have been done to prevent what happened. Linda’s legal action is intended to secure specialist support for her recovery from the spinal injuries she sustained during the flight. The proceedings come as other passengers from SQ321 have also pursued legal action against Singapore Airlines.

The incident has therefore led to multiple legal claims involving passengers affected by the turbulence. Court records reportedly include the names of Hannah Fullerton, Bradley Richards, Andrew Dawood, Jack Jenkins, Bryan Matthews, and Pauline and Michael Rainey. The Kitchen family’s case remains subject to the legal process, while the circumstances surrounding Geoff Kitchen’s death are also expected to be examined at the pending coroner’s inquest.

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