Singapore airlines: Pilot under fire for not avoiding thunderstorms | John Hammond

“One would expect the pilot to have seen where the thunderstorms were and how to avoid them.”
The pilot of the Singapore Airlines flight which killed one man and injured 70 passengers is facing questions of why this flight was “so dramatically more extreme”, says meteorologist John Hammond.
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[@mikeseed-kc9hj]

Why do the media love aircraft "dropping thousands of feet" Flight data analysis shows the 6000 ft. descent was a controlled descent. The turbulence only caused a few hundred feet deviation. I'm not downplaying a very serious incident, but hysterical inaccuracy doesn't help.

[@lukedaniels7750]

This sort of reporting relys on the general public getting wound up and angry and keen to blame somebody.

[@natalyazhd8608]

Thanks for sharing this info, those kind of inaccurate headlines are infuriating

[@caleballen1330]

Turbulence and controlled descent that tragically led to a heart attack. Listening to the media you’d think people were freely bouncing around the aircraft. The media hype about this is more likely to cause more passenger panic, leading to more heart attacks and deaths.

[@libsybum3591]

⁠@@caleballen1330I mean, the dents and blood on the ceiling definitely make it seem like people were bouncing around the plane

[@user-bd2vy6ij1s]

Precisely, and as usual, they attempt to blame the pilot when this incident identical to the previous whihx resulted in the death of hundreds of passengers.

[@kimberlychan6283]

The pilot did a great job!!! He prevented a plane crash!

[@liftfan2]

This is why no journalist should be trusted. In general they spend their lives talking about things they know nothing about. They frequently get things very wrong.

[@sevensixtysteve8662]

What a shockingly inaccurate report. Stuff like this should not be allowed.

[@terrycorrall9179]

he is just a trouble maker should keep his mouth shut. he know's nothing

[@thethinkingman-]

there is NO excuse for flying a plane into a storm! are you mad!!!!!

[@rogerroger6049]

Correct! Best wait for the official report on the upset event.

[@matthendricks9666]

Actually what this man is saying makes perfect sense. It is very likely that the plane just hit the tops of a thunderstorm cloud.

[@retepnosbig4859]

your inaccurate....dont stop you from commenting though 😎

[@PedroConejo1939]

Stop this nonsense now. Wait for the reports from people who actually know the field and have access to the data.

[@user-nu1sq2fz8s]

The plane stalled and started falling. So something else must have happened

[@mikeytrw]

@@user-nu1sq2fz8s you don't know that

[@nitabear8324]

@@user-nu1sq2fz8s its called an air hole

[@lukedaniels7750]

Yes, a bunch of armchair pundits who have no expert knowledge or insight about this incident desperatley looking for somebody to blame. Do we know for certin that the weather radar thingy was working properly ? No we do not. So we wait for an investigation before coming to a judgement. These presenters and guest do not of course.

[@pook2830]

@@user-nu1sq2fz8s No it didn't. Stop being silly.

[@T1M6]

Don't automatically shout pilot error. The flights I have been on advise always wearing seat belts ... now I know why .

[@mickmcnich]

This is not reporting this is speculation by two people who have no expertise in the causes of this issue. stop this now.

[@tonywatson7988]

No pilot in his/her right mind would fly through an avoidable thunderstorm or storm cloud. As many others have said, clear air turbulence (CAT) is invisible and can only be avoided by accurate meteorological information and that is not always sufficient to provide the detail needed for CAT forecast. This speculation is uninformed about the conditions the SQ flight encountered.

[@RickSanchez-mp8ou]

I mean I know a few pilots that crashed into 2 tall buildings. Don't generalise pilots like that

[@Ghosts1129]

@@RickSanchez-mp8ou "right mind" A person who decides to see the afterlife early, in the western mindset, is not in their right mind. Whether they are mentally impaired or brain washed.

[@EvoraGT430]

It's not impossible. Weather radars can miss them and they can sit inside other cloud layers and be invisible. I think John Hammond is likely correct.

[@ChungXlan]

There is not CAT in that area around Bangkok….

[@natalieecoop]

What an awful report with click bait remarks. I have flown with Singapore Airlines for 34 years, pretty much once a year of my life and have found it to always be a great experience from the crew to the aircraft. This sounds like a very unfortunate incident. My thoughts are with everyone involved.

[@fireman3857]

Times Radio, bringing you the best in fiction.

[@PhD63]

Dreadful reporting. If they can’t get their facts correct they shouldn’t be putting out garbage like this. The aircraft went through clear air turbulence which made it drop a few hundred feet and rise again in seconds and that is what caused the injuries. The 6 thousand feet of descent in three minutes is a normal controlled decent at two thousand feet per minute to find more stable air.

[@paulcollins5586]

This man is clueless. Do you blame a driver if the car engine fails. Air turbulence is not visible.

[@StarvingPixels]

You can predict where it will be

[@dongoghrod6605]

He is a weatherman, absolutely nothing do with air incidents.

[@125brat]

@@StarvingPixels To a certain degree you can, but not always. Apparently about 25% of CAT is not predictable

[@marufmunsur1991]

Our countrymen blame doctors for broken CT, MRI machines, unavailability of beds, high prices of medicines and even unclean toilets. So, people blaming drivers and pilots for engine failures is not so uncommon.

[@PrisonerMusic]

This report is a sensationalist disgrace. Blame the pilot and rely on unqualified experts and talking heads to analyse the incident… why don’t you show some respect and wait for the accident report before commenting?

[@matthewrichardson5548]

0:50 "the plane fell thousands of feet in just a few seconds". NO IT DIDN'T. It was cruising at 37,000ft, the turbulence caused the plane to climb a few hundred feet and then drop back to 37,000ft, which we can see on the FlightRadar24 data. A scary event for passengers but it did not fall thousands of feet. After the turbulence the pilots then descended the plane in a normal descent to 31,000ft to find a smoother altitude to fly at which they presumably found at 31,000ft.

[@StevieMcQueen52]

how do you know this were you flying the plane ffs?

[@jackreacher8858]

@@StevieMcQueen52 Somebody seems to KNOW EVERYTHING HAHA !

[@matthewrichardson5548]

@@StevieMcQueen52 As I said Flightradar24 have released the ADS-B data they collected on the flight.

[@RodyTheRoad]

​@@StevieMcQueen52And how are you so sure that whatever YOU believe is real? Were you flying the plane too?

[@StevieMcQueen52]

@@RodyTheRoad i'm not questioning anything everyone here is like they were there ffs

[@tomriley5790]

You're always advised to keep your seatbelt fastened during flights for this precise reason.

[@mauricelevy9027]

This idiot obviously didn't hear the BBC talking to an experience retired pilot said that the flight path of that disaster was through hundreds of miles of almost deserted airspace so the usual commercial flight staff weren''t reporting any problems in the area because they weren't there . To my knowledge all flights have the cabin crew telling them that they are advised to keep belted in regardless of the messages to say they "can" unbuckle .Let's wait for the real experts report from the industry investigation board before stating their opinion. I'm surprised that he Times are reporting in this cavalier way.

[@jackreacher8858]

YOU TRUST BOEING ? GOOD LUCK MAN !

[@paulwilliams5121]

Yes and we all know the BBC have no hidden agenda for every single report they put together 🤣

[@RandomVideosFirst]

"the plane fell thousands of feet in just a few seconds",that would suggest it took a nose dive, alot of the reporting has been inaccurate , it was a gradual descent

[@pandoraalberts5267]

Turbulence isn't always visible.

[@RandomVideosFirst]

not to the human eye , mr super powers

[@merrymaker1031]

@@RandomVideosFirst it is called clear air turbulence

[@TOMLINBISH]

Turbulence is not always visible but the pilots would've known about the storm system ahead of them & they maybe underestimated it or decided not to divert around it because of the extra fuel cost involved!

[@e_elkzyx2591]

@@TOMLINBISH it was clear air turbulance nothing to do with a storm

[@PhD63]

@@RandomVideosFirstYou obviously have no idea what you are talking about.

[@carsoncambodia]

I’ve flown this route as a passenger hundreds of times. It’s notoriously bumpy. The monsoon is just started and the atmosphere is very lively as the massive body of air shifts direction.

[@byteme9718]

Some times its bumpy, most times it's not.

[@kiljaeden7663]

I flew that route some years ago - at the start of the flight the pilot introduced himself and the crew; and then immediately said that "there WILL be turbulence on this flight"

[@carsonharte]

@@kiljaeden7663 I hear this warning every time

[@vilmavillahermosa3080]

Unfair!! At least,the pilot save the lives of a lot of passengers..That's all that matters..😊

[@nball461]

John Hammond sounds more like a self confessed expert, and clearly wants to put all blame on the pilots.. 🙄

[@victordonawa6961]

I always keep my seatbelt when flying. Im wondering if seatbelt wearing can be made compulsory by the airline industry. I know that many will complain but its a safety issue.

[@enfield7123]

To the pilots and crew of this jet fuckxx what the media say ... Well done all of you 👏 bringing the jet back to the ground safety 👏

[@dongoghrod6605]

With due respect to John Hammond, he is a weatherman not a pilot or captain, he is not qualified to speak about air incidents.

[@globalnomad450]

The Jetstream has nothing to do with this…. It was a thunderstorm he flew through. He couldn’t see them as they are embedded. The weather radar is what we use to fly around. The storms top out frequently at over 50,000ft. The storms were embedded and could be seen on weather radar. Try and report this correctly. I flew past this area that day and the weather was not great but could be avoided. The turbulence was not CAT…it was from flying through a very large storm which has huge up and down drafts, hence the height loss. The Jetstream was way more north from there and is dissipating as the winter finishes and the monsoon moves north east across the Bay of Bengal.

[@barracuda008l4]

The usual ignorant journalist making allegations without knowing or having the information ....

[@ReadingwithJoanRWJ]

Stop blaming the pilots....you have no idea...

[@kieranmccue1931]

Just because he’s flying the plane doesn’t mean he’s in control of where the plane flys and or the route that is taken

[@rassman48]

The very first thing people do is look for someone to blame, so they ca sue for money. Nature is big and powerful, if it has a mind to flip a plane or throw a tanker like a baseball it can do that. There isn't always someone to blame.

[@mpowers6653]

How could you avoid Thunderstorm when attacked unexpectedly? And those also passenger unfasten seatbelts all wrap into one!

[@barbarasjelin9925]

Being a flight attendant passengers never want to stay seated

[@marcsi6064]

I'm a good passenger I always do😊

[@Whamystrang]

Can’t see clear air turbulents. The aircraft was Piloted to a lower altitude to miss the sudden turbulents. They were following a procedure.

[@LDNRDR]

Didn't John Hammond also own Jurassic Park? This guy has horrible luck.

[@andrefearon2904]

So CAT in unavoidable in some circumstances which gives you a windshear like scenario where the Aircraft can be thrown up or down and pressure forces the aircraft without control, normally only lasts a few second or mins but Pilots do have all the equipment to deal with these scenarios and its not dangerous to the Aircraft, only the passengers who aren't wearing seat-belts but sometimes there is no warning. The Aircraft entered the light jet stream which passes up the Bay of Bengal this time of year and also you'll see on the top or near the top of Everest which is all the way in Nepal gets the brunt of the Jet stream from this area. This Jet stream added to an area of thunderstorms create CAT but we will see from the flight recorders and pilot accounts just what happened. Sadly this episode of flying has had a sad outcome.

[@notme1345]

I never ever take my belt off. I go to the toilet before boarding and dont consume food or liquids on the plane so i don't have to leave my seat.

[@rosemarymay3914]

That is wrong to blame the pilot from people who were not there.He did well to get the plane safely landed and people should where their seat belts when sitting

[@ali84uk]

Try avoiding storms by just using your vision travelling at night on a rainy day at 500mph

[@IgglePyggle]

Shut up Times, let the investigation run its course first.

[@davidyeo8530]

It wasn’t 1000s of feet it was 100s

[@v8pilot]

A passenger died of a heart attack by all accounts. It's nonsense to say the flight killed him.

[@AnotherPointOfView944]

This guy may have been on the plane, but that does not make him any kind of flight consultant. So why are they interviewing him as if he were?

[@spacemonkey200]

There is a know issue with the 777 weather radar! So another Boeing issue is now all over social media.👍

[@daytonaflyer]

Much of the time you can't see thunderstorms visually because there are clouds aloft that you are flying through. You often have to rely on radar to avoid thunderstorms, even during the daytime.

[@C4DG3R]

So much inaccurate information about this incident . It's like at least 1 media outlet has to be controversial. Just an unfortunate event that can happen when us humans decide to fly round in tin cans. Mother nature will do her thing regardless.

[@robtyman4281]

It's too easy to blame the pilot for something like this, because they don't decide when to take off from an airport - air traffic control do, obviously! The pilot would have been in contact with various airport traffic control staff from different airports,the plane could have landed at in an emergency - during the flight through the storm. And it's very possible that one lot of air traffic control staff at a particular airport may have told the pilot to proceed through the storm, and not land at their airport. I get that, they wouldn't have been able to tell how bad the turbulence was, from the storm, but the pilot was heavily relying on their judgement. He may have relied to heavily on this, rather than saying he was going to land at an unscheduled airport en route. In hindsight he probably should have done this, but the decision to proceed would have been a joint one between the pilot, co pilot and air traffic control staff he would have been in contact with during the turbulence.

[@125brat]

Ultimately the responsibility for the aircraft is that of the captain, not ATC. He is guided by controllers and will usually accept their information, advice or clearances. If he believes the track ahead is not suitable, he can divert around the hazard by climbing, descending or turning to avoid it with clearance from ATC unless in an emergency situation. A pilot will not deliberately fly through a storm and will usually avoid them if at all possible. The pilot did declare an emergency and did divert to land at a non-scheduled airport. The pilot would not have done this unless he felt it necessary and this was borne out by the injuries to the passengers and crew. Again, the decision to divert is that of the captain, not ATC.

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

Turbulence is common in that region especially at this time of the year. Sometimes predicted or reported on the route somtimes not. Keep your seat belt on and cabin baggage stowed

[@paulcollins5586]

You cant stop a plane on a hard shoulder you have to keep going.

[@edwardtran1974]

I have 15000hrs in large jets and yes pilots can fly into thunderstorms accidentally. There are no jet streams in that area. But severe thunderstorms are common there due to the ITCZ. I would agree with him. The pilots flew into a thunderstorm

[@petewilliam4295]

a sudden clear air shearing force was possibly the initial source of injuries and sad casualty with a controlled descent thereafter twas obviously a massive sudden drop in elevation otherwise a lot of questions need answered

[@1ADP]

To many mouth pieces with inaccurate info

[@JonAddison]

Inaccurate BS.

[@MichaelGGarry]

So you ask a METEOROLGIST about flying a plane? What absolute horseshit.

[@125brat]

You obviously don't understand the relationship between the Met Office and the aviation world. Weather forecasters are very well versed and experienced in producing very detailed forecasts for aviation and the types of weather that is hazardous to aircraft.

[@kiljaeden7663]

@@125brat being a weather forecaster for aviation doesn't make you a pilot.

[@125brat]

@@kiljaeden7663 That is true, BUT as their job is closely linked to the aviation industry, they have a damn site more understanding of the effects of weather on aircraft and the hazards involved than the vast majority of armchair critics who don't have a clue about what they're commenting on.

[@MichaelGGarry]

@@125brat Oh I do understand, thanks. When he sticks to just talking about the weather and not the actual flying with a know-it-all smugness, then I'll let up.

[@kiljaeden7663]

@@125brat "Both of the pilots have passed out! Does anybody here know how to fly a plane?" "I'm a meteorologist, if that helps." Hahahaha

[@markuseden2105]

A) When flying in that area like everywhere in the Inter Tropical convergence zone, thunderstorms are sometimes unavoidable as they pop up everywhere and form super storms. In this case u find the best way through by using the weather radar. But it can get VERY shaky even outside of the "red" zones. B) Thunderstorm activity is getting supercharged due to the climate crisis which will lead to more storms / more severe storms and larger area's covered by them so get used to it. This will become more common.

[@TheJayJayYoung]

Wasn’t it 6000ft in a span of 5 minutes? Was told that that’s considered a normal descending. No reports were out yet and here we have, experts speaking as if they were in the the cockpit. Journalism at its finest.

[@jayjay4946]

It said it was unavoidable? even in your description.

[@oriel229]

At this time of year, with the monsoon building the entire area is notoroous for CB, (cumulo nimbus or thunderstorms), line squalls, (an unbroken line of thunderstorms,) and all the turbulence and icing that occurs in them. I have frequently needed to be up to 200 miles off course while operating here to avoid the weather. Trouble is, the CB does not always show up on weather radar. And neither will CAT, clear air turbulence.

[@user-md3yg6wu6t]

he should of been wearing his seat belt, its the old mans fault, nobody elses

[@steampunk888]

FFS, the plane did NOT fall "thousands of feet in a few seconds." There was a controlled descent of several thousand feet, over an acceptable period of time. The harm was caused in a few seconds, however.

[@retrodystopian1]

Literally no clue, some of the stuff said here is just factually incorrect. Very dangerous to be spreading rumours and calling it news

[@CatherineDover]

Wait for an official inquiry. Stop making the story up without facts.

[@derekearles9844]

Planes can hit air pockets anywhere i went through one over turkey it lasted over 8 mins from start to end and i was on board the A380 from man to dubai

[@robertfreeman7906]

This was clear air turbulence and wasn't able to be predicted and not seen on the flight crews weather radar, so get you facts right before *****

[@ZABD306]

Other aircraft in the vicinity deviated to avoid huge weather build up. This is a busy corridor and all other traffic were safe. SIA flew right through it. Now the blame goes to global warming and other strange events.

[@emmadeal1105]

See Flightradar24's data and report ... the flignt crew descended the plane 6000 ft it didn't drop or plummet the turbulence happened 15 mins prior to the descent ... they desended to avoid the bad area. The media need to get THE FACTS. Also clear air turbulence .... fgs stop with the plane fell!!! Jeeeez. Often happens near the Bay of Bengal. Shut up weatherman!!!

[@EssKayTee1]

This is a load of sensationalistic, speculative nonsense.

[@jasminejj5097]

Aircraft shaking followed by a violent drop, could also introduce the possibility of a stall, surprised he didn't mention that. We will wait and see what the FDR says.

[@lesliedardel9325]

The media has gotten so many facts wrong. And one other thing, clear air turbulence can NOT be seen on flight instruments. 🤦🏾‍♀️

[@IanSizer-co7vb]

Typical culture to look for blame in this tragic event I cannot imagine the pilots putting their lives at risk along with everyone else on board

[@tongsee367]

Stop blaming pilots. , please.

[@1stPrinciples455]

I feel that the least damage is to blame the pilot and save the airlines

[@thomasleong9401]

why is this media girl smiling?

[@satya3952]

Absolutely fantastic explanation by the meteorologist John. Thanks 👍

[@jaywalker3087]

It wasn't his fault.... Nature is to blame !!!

[@nattyco]

Nobody knows what happened or if anybody is to blame. This sort of speculation is absurd. Also, dropping 6/7 thousand feet over 6 minutes is a gentle descent and less than the normal descent when approaching your destination.

[@mamamememoo]

Reported this for misinformation. Hope they get sued for slander.

[@rogerroger6049]

It won't be long before you have put a helmet on when getting out of your seat...there could be a service trolley and an attendant hurtling your way.

[@SaanichtonMinistries]

Like masks, like seatbelt. Some will never wear it despite the risks. Never take flight for granted. CAT is a huge risk factor. Like earthquakes, you never know where or when it will strike, and you also don't know if your aircraft will withstand the forces it can produce.

[@Jimmyredcab]

Absolute nonsense, this turbulence was not expected or the pilot would have triggered the seatbelt warning.

[@Ashlizzard]

...Please ignore this man, he doesn't know what he's talking about - the passengers didn't have their belts on, if they had, there would have been no injuries...

[@nickcritelli6619]

The plane did not even drop thousands of feet in a fe seconds. It’s was a controlled descent. What bad journalism

[@alayneperrott9693]

There were massive numbers of lighting storms visible over S and SE Asia on satellite radar in the last few days.

[@RicktheRecorder]

What a weather radar can see ahead can be masked by closer thunder cells.

[@markgendala5689]

Times Radio - resist the temptation to become BS Radio!

[@Windows-kz4ke]

Too late!

[@74quo]

I have flown that route on quite a few occasions with just moderate air turbulence The plane didn't drop thousands of feet it was a controlled decent into Bangkok 😉😎

[@Lul81028]

Too many people spend their time wandering up and down aircraft. Toilet after toilet trips..what on earth is wrong with them! Stay seated. It could save your life!

[@englianconnietan1931]

Responsible accurate reporting please..stop finger pointing ..it's cruel

[@orkedvilla6552]

Its easy to comment and critisize...u are not in the pilot's seat...at the spur of the moment...the weather is very very unpredictable...

[@mongolikechewchew2475]

This anchorwoman acted quite unprofessional & incredibly insensitive, laughing at whoever was speaking to her as the audio of an interview with one of the passengers was being broadcast. Maybe she was unaware that the studio camera was still rolling. Even so, that wasn't good timing for funny storytelling in the background while reporting on an incident that sadly resulted in one fatality as well as 100-plus injured, some critically.

[@tg8799]

Oh man, I have a long haul flight coming up and I am feeling petrified right now

[@thuncerd1087]

Mate this is such a rare event news channels are going crazy over it. One person died and a few injured, you’re more likely to die falling out of bed

[@Queenofgreen515]

This is really rare. Normally you only get mild turbulence. I wouldn’t worry, just take your flight as usual. These news ppl like to scare folks. It’s drama and it’s sales.

[@chrisadish]

​@@Queenofgreen515 SO TRUE!!❤❤❤❤❤

[@Charmywoo]

wear your seatbelt

[@myself6296]

IKR i'm flying in July youtube keeps showing me plane crashes, now this, i'm doomed.

[@manichairdo9265]

Groan. When the public knows more than the talking heads. 😂😂😂

[@cleolector710]

Hang on they said it was unexpected Cloud turbullence Or did weather changer know in advance

[@ZlogsUK]

Not thousands of feet it was hundreds

[@philmelb1022]

Tjey shouldmake it compulsory to wear seat nelts all the time except when u go to toilet. Ive been flying 45 years on planes always qear seat belt unless going to toilet.

[@daviddenham1511]

Utter media clickbait nonsense…..nothing to do with the jet stream….grow up

[@captainbligh3894]

Been waiting for this ( without judging , yet !! ) I know the area, know the aircraft, know the radar, know the airline .

[@qcope]

Climate change..... Of course that will be the reason! Expert tells us that with regard to thunderstorms... "the pilot can see out of his cockpit and see exactly where they are and avoid them". That is reassuring! With the climate crisis.... let's hope all the pilots up there keep a sharp lookout!

[@markpavlowski7223]

Usual times radio' muppet fantasy' report

[@mord-luck]

scuffed audio

[@UU-ww6hc]

Does it require to be a Magician to be a pilot?

[@tripnick555]

What a pointless video. 3 people speculating on possible causes and giving incorrect information while doing so. Wait for the flight recorder info and then report the facts. The only good thing about this report was that surprisingly no blame was aimed at the trans community or foreigners/migrants.