Singapore Airlines turbulence: Kiwi remains in Bangkok hospital after breaking back, neck during flight

An Auckland man onboard the deadly Singapore Airlines flight from London has spoken from his Bangkok hospital bed after he broke his neck and back.

Philip Whitehead said there was no time to get his seat belt on when the turbulence hit and he woke up in a pool of blood.

Twenty-three New Zealanders were on board flight SQ321 and four were hospitalised when the plane plunged approximately 1800m in three minutes.

The Singapore Airlines Boeing 777, which departed from London’s Heathrow Airport for Singapore two weeks ago with 211 passengers and 18 crew members onboard, encountered severe weather conditions before the plane was diverted and landed in stormy weather in Bangkok.

Singapore Airlines confirmed that a British man had died and its chief executive extended his condolences to the man’s family. The airline said there were “multiple” injuries on the flight.

Whitehead told Stuff his neck and back were broken during the ordeal.

Aftermath of the turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 that killed one and injured many others.

He said he had no time to put his seat belt on after just returning from the bathroom.

“I woke up on the floor of the aisle of the plane with a severely lacerated head, broken neck, broken back, cracked sternum, and a damaged lung.

Following the diversion to Bangkok, Whitehead was immediately rushed to surgery where he had two titanium plates, each 15cm long, inserted into his back to fuse his spine.

It will take weeks or months for Whitehead to return home after his two-and-a-half-week trip to England to see his daughter.

Whitehead is a self-employed luthier, which means he restores and makes violins. He said he wants to get “back to his normal as quickly as possible”.

Whitehead told Stuff he is receiving intensive physiotherapy and recovering in a five-star, private hospital room, with a personal helper at his bedside 24/7.

His medical costs are being paid for by the airline and he is receiving regular visits from his wife’s family who are from Thailand.

The family of another New Zealand man who needed 31 stitches described the turbulence and the moment he was thrown from his seat to 1News. He said the turbulence was “violent shaking for 30 seconds and then a massive drop”.

“It was terrifying,” the man’s wife, who was travelling with him, said.

Photographs of the man’s injuries showed the back of his ear had been sliced apart and bruising on his face.

Another photograph showed where the man had slammed into the interior of the aircraft and left a dent. It was blood-stained.

The man has been discharged from hospital. He received 31 stitches and an X-ray showed his neck had been strained. He and his wife were still in Bangkok.