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A turbulent Singapore Airlines flight in May dropped 54 metres in less than a second, leaving one dead and dozens seriously injured.
Kiwi Phil Whitehead suffered severe injuries including a broken neck and spine on the flight.
After emergency surgery in Bangkok, Whitehead received two titanium rods in his spine and is now taking his first steps with assistance.
A New Zealand man who suffered a broken neck, back and other serious injuries when his flight hit extreme turbulence in May has taken his first steps in a Bangkok hospital.
Kiwi violin maker Phil Whitehead was thrown into an overhead locker before hitting the floor as the Singapore Airlines flight he was on from London to Singapore dropped 54 metres in less than a second, hurling people around the cabin.
One man died of a heart attack on the flight and dozens suffered serious spinal and head injuries.
From his hospital bed in Bangkok, Whitehead told the Herald he had just returned to his seat from the bathroom when the plane started shaking.
“I was basically ‘scalped’ and most of the skin from the top of my head was torn off,” he said.
Whitehead later learned his spine was broken between T1 and T4 and his sternum was broken. He also had a laceration to his lung and a serious ligament injury to his knee.
The only other person seriously injured in his section of the plane was the woman seated next to him, who got lodged between the seats. Dozens were injured elsewhere on the flight.
Phil Whitehead is a well-regarded musician and specialist violin maker in New Zealand. Photo / Graeme Sedal
“She was stuck there until the plane landed and they had to unbolt the seats,” Whitehead said.
“Her feet were right next to my head and she was screaming and kept kicking which wasn’t ideal with the broken neck.”
The Singapore-bound plane was diverted to Bangkok where medical crews assessed and rushed Whitehead and the other injured to hospital.
Whitehead had surgery to implant two 15cm titanium rods held by screws to fuse his spine. The break to his neck is healing naturally with the bone slowly repairing and recalcifying.
“Luckily, the surgeon was able to piece the skin on my head back together with 48 stitches and it has healed back very well, and is now almost invisible,” he said.
The break to the sternum and laceration to the lung have also healed well and Whitehead has daily physio and deep laser treatment for his knee injury, but the breaks to his spine will take longer.
He is now just able to take a few steps to the bathroom.
“I have to wear a brace even if sitting up to eat but I can now walk to the bathroom with either a walker or with an assistant to make sure I don’t lose my balance,” he said.
“The bone is still really fragile so I have to keep my movements really conservative so I don’t damage myself.”
Whitehead said the aftermath of the life-changing ordeal has been softened by Singapore Airlines, which has covered all of his medical expenses in a 5-star Bangkok hospital.
The aftermath of the turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321. One person died and many others were injured, including New Zealander Phil Whitehead.
The airline flew Whitehead’s wife and family over from New Zealand in business class and paid for their expenses in Bangkok.
“I’m in the best hospital in Bangkok, it’s very comfortable and I am lucky to be here,” he said.
“The food is good, they make all my meals whatever I ask for and I speak a little Thai which helps as well.”
Whitehead’s wife is a Thai national and has been put up in a hotel close to the hospital.
The broken T2 vertebra in Phil Whitehead's spine.
“She catches a taxi here each morning to spend time with me and her mum, who is in her 80s, lives about 5-10 minutes from her hotel.”
Whitehead was expecting to return home last month but a CT scan showed the bone had not healed well and the date had been pushed to July. He has since been told he will be in hospital until late August.
Whitehead said Singapore Airlines had responded well in the aftermath.
“They seem really genuine and their representatives have been here many times to see me to say sorry and have asked what else they can do to make things right,” he said.
“They are a good airline, I would recommend them and I’d fly them again.”
Kirsty Wynn is an Auckland-based journalist with more than 20 years of experience in New Zealand newsrooms. She has covered everything from crime and social issues to the property market and consumer affairs.
