Video and passenger accounts have painted an image of chaos aboard Singapore Airways Flight SQ321 after the passenger plane encountered what the airline known as “sudden excessive turbulence.”Â
One particular person died in the course of the incident. Authorities consider the passenger, recognized as a 73-year-old British man, had a coronary heart assault. Dozens extra passengers had been injured. Six individuals had been handled for extreme accidents after the aircraft made an emergency touchdown in Bangkok, Thailand, CBS Information beforehand reported.Â
The incident has drawn consideration to the risks turbulence can pose. One sort of turbulence, often called clear-air turbulence, might be particularly troublesome for pilots.Â
Here is what to find out about clear-air turbulence.
What’s clear-air turbulence?Â
Clear-air turbulence is a “sometimes very violent” phenomenon that happens at excessive altitudes, sometimes between 23,000 to 39,000 ft above sea stage, mentioned Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Flight Security Basis.Â
What makes clear-air turbulence harmful is that it could’t be seen prematurely like turbulence attributable to climate, often called convective turbulence. Usually, flights divert or enter a holding sample to keep away from extreme turbulence, but when it could’t be seen prematurely, pilots cannot alter to keep away from it, Shahidi mentioned.Â
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What causes clear-air turbulence?Â
Planes typically fly via air plenty often called jet streams. Inside these streams, there are a number of layers of air flowing at various speeds “virtually on prime of one another,” mentioned Daniel Adjekum, a pilot and plane security guide who holds a doctorate in aerospace sciences and teaches on the College of North Dakota. The differing temperatures trigger friction. That friction, in flip, causes “plenty of disturbance,” Adjekum mentioned.Â
In convective turbulence, attributable to storms or different climate, air is heated and displaced, resulting in excessive moisture content material that may be simply noticed on flight devices. Clear-air turbulence does not have that prime moisture content material stage, so radar and different devices cannot detect it till it is too late, Adjekum mentioned.Â
“That’s what makes it very insidious,” Adjekum mentioned. Â
Local weather change additionally performs an element. Hotter air attributable to carbon dioxide emissions is resulting in stronger wind shear at increased elevations, which can lead to clear-air turbulence. A 2023 examine discovered that clear air turbulence has elevated by 41% over the previous 40 years. Â
Is obvious-air turbulence accountable for the chaos aboard Flight SQ321?Â
Consultants had been hesitant to say if clear-air turbulence was accountable for the scene aboard Singapore Airways’ Flight SQ321. The airline mentioned the loss of life and accidents aboard the aircraft had been precipitated when the plane “encountered sudden excessive turbulence.”Â
The aircraft was flying at 37,000 ft, the airline mentioned, placing it within the vary of clear-air turbulence, however specialists highlighted thunderstorms within the space that might have precipitated the turbulence.Â
Robert Sumwalt, the previous chair of the Nationwide Transportation Security Board and a pilot, mentioned on CBS Night Information that it is “too early to know for certain” what precipitated the incident.Â
An investigation is ongoing.
Is there a clear-air turbulence forecast?Â
The unpredictability of clear-air turbulence makes it troublesome to forecast, although it’s extra frequent throughout winter months.Â
Consultants mentioned one of the simplest ways to organize for the phenomenon is keep buckled in whereas flying.Â
If you happen to’re not actively shifting concerning the cabin, your seatbelt ought to be on, Adjekum mentioned. If the pilot activates a fasten seatbelts signal, all passengers ought to return to their seats as shortly as potential.Â
Kris Van Cleave and Tracy Wholf contributed to this report.Â
