SQ321 LHR-SIN Encountered Severe Turbulence [At least 1 Fatality and 30 Injured]

[jb747]

It was afternoon when it occurred and the sun likely just behind them.

They may well have been in cloud. Or it was hidden by cloud. Doesn't matter. That's what radar is for.

I wonder what they saw looking out the window - was the cell below them initially but rapidly rising?, or were the storm cells visible in the window?

You don't fly over baby cells....'cos they grow up very fast. Actually you don't fly over any cells.

Seems like it wouldn't have taken a lot of knowledge to have avoided that cell - one would assume that there would have been some radio traffic with aircraft diverting from course to avoid it as well - that should have alerted them enough for them to have a closer look at what was going on.

Some traffic may have been on data link, so you don't hear that. Calls happen all the time, though, and people filter out anything that doesn't include their callsign. It's more noise than information. There are always storms in that region...you're supposed to be able to work out how not to hit them.

 

[Sprucegoose]

It would be interesting to see if this matter is litigated in the American legal system. Under the Montreal Convention, passengers can choose to pursue claims from their country of residence, destination, or where the airline is domiciled. One suspects the Island State is firming its understanding of what a defence to these allegations may entail.

Corporates are generally slow to process bad news.

 

[RSD]

It would be interesting to see if this matter is litigated in the American legal system. Under the Montreal Convention, passengers can choose to pursue claims from their country of residence, destination, or where the airline is domiciled. One suspects the Island State is firming its understanding of what a defence to these allegations may entail.

Corporates are generally slow to process bad news.

Interesting! Destination as in the destination of the flight - or their final destination?