A much-loved musical theatre director died on a Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence while his family said he was on his “last big holiday” with his wife.
Father-of-two Geoffrey Kitchen has been named as the 73-year-old Briton who died on board the Boeing 777-300ER plane, which was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok en route to Singapore from London on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport said a British man suffered a suspected heart attack on the aircraft. It was carrying 211 passengers – including 47 from the UK – and 18 crew. Seven people are in a critical condition in hospital and dozens more are injured.
Singapore Airlines said the flight encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure and the pilot declared a medical emergency, with flight tracking data showing the plane plummeted 6,000 feet in minutes.
As details of the terrifying flight continue to emerge, tributes have been flooding in for Kitchen, who is from Thornbury, outside Bristol.
His wife was rushed to hospital after the incident, according to Airports of Thailand general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn.
The Thornbury Musical Theatre Group, where Kitchen devoted much of his time having worked there for 35 years and been its director since 2020, praised him as a “gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity”.
Stephen Kitchen, Kitchen’s first cousin, said he and his wife, Linda, had been looking forward to their six-week holiday together.
Speaking from his home in Chepstow, he told The Independent: “We were a bit shocked, I still am. I’m trying to touch base with Linda. I sent a message.
“They were looking forward to the holiday. They are travellers, they do quite a lot of these things, quite adventurous. It was sort of going to be their last big holiday. It would have been nice to see them before they went. It was a tour around Asia.”
Stephen said he was due to meet the pair for lunch at the White Hart pub in Littleton-upon-Severn before they flew out for their holiday – but due to visa issues that needed sorting it was called off.
Asked how he’d remember his first cousin, Stephen said: “With fond memories, he is musical, I’m musical so we are musicals orientated but I know he was very popular in the Thornbury musical group, just a lovely guy.”
Only last week, Kitchen, who was a retired insurance professional, had been helping preparations for the group’s upcoming show, Journey Back To The Future, which neighbour and co-member Steve Dimond said would now be dedicated to him.
Mr Dimond, who has known Kitchen for 11 years, told The Independent: “We will continue with the next show which will likely be done in his name.
“I’m really shocked, he’ll be badly missed. He was a kind man who in recent years, after retirement, had loved the musical theatre.”
Mr Kitchen had recently worked hard campaigning for the reopening of the town’s Armstrong Hall, and he was much respected in the community.
The 777 left Heathrow at 22.17 on Monday and landed in Bangkok at 15.45 local time [0845 GMT) the following day. Flightradar24 said its tracking data showed the plane encountered turbulence at approximately 07.49 GMT while flying over Myanmar.
The flight tracking service said data sent from the aircraft showed a “rapid change in vertical rate, consistent with a sudden turbulence event”, adding that there were “some severe” thunderstorms in the area at the time.
Dzafran Azmir, 28, who was on the flight, said the plane suffered a “very dramatic drop”, meaning people not wearing a seatbelt were “launched immediately into the ceiling”.
Images posted on social media showed damage to the ceiling of the cabin, and food, cutlery and other debris strewn on the floor after the incident.
Asked about Kitchen, Mr Dimond added: “A really nice bloke, loved live music and the theatre. I can remember him dressed as a sultan in the panto this year, funny, good singer, a nice bloke. Very sociable.”
In a tribute paid on Tuesday night, the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group said: “It is with a heavy heart that we learn of the devastating news of the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend Geoff Kitchen in the recent Singapore Air Incident.
“Geoff was always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity and always did what was right for the group.
“His commitment to TMTG was unquestionable and he has served the group and the local community of Thornbury for over 35 years, holding various offices within the group, including chairman, treasurer and most recently secretary.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family at this difficult time, and we ask that you respect their privacy.”
A UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said it was supporting the family of the passenger and was in contact with local authorities.
