Rizna Mutmainah
Travel Trouble

"Absolute carnage": Injured Aussie reveals turbulence horror

An Aussie man who was onboard the Singapore Airlines flight that plunged 6000 feet, leaving one dead and dozens injured, has spoken out for the first time. 

A heavily bandaged Keith Davis told Today that he is still in shock over what happened, and shared graphic detail of what happened straight from his hospital bed in Thailand. 

"We'd just finished a fantastic holiday in the UK and were one more flight away, nearly home - and this comes along," he said.

The flight took off from London Heathrow on Monday night and bound for Singapore with 211 passengers on board. 

Davis and his wife were among the 56 Australian passengers when the plane was struck by severe turbulence just minutes into the beginning of the breakfast service. 

"It was absolute carnage, instantly, it was absolutely surreal and there was no warning," he recalled. 

"When you come into turbulence, there is usually some warning, but this was just a freefall and before we knew it - we were on the ceiling and then bang, we are on the ground."

Despite looking battered and bruised, Davis said that his wounds were just superficial, and his wife had an even longer road to recovery ahead. 

"(My wife) fell into the aisle and she didn't move from then on," he said. 

"She hit the ground so hard and you know, I leant over her and said, 'hey honey, you're okay', I could see she was breathing and she could speak, but when someone hits the ground, they're going to try and get up and that wasn't happening.

"And then I realised I was pouring blood all over her and I thought, wow, we're in a lot of serious trouble here.'

Davis said that his wife remained conscious the whole way through, which he said was a blessing as she doesn't have a brain injury. 

"She's had a severe spinal injury and she has no sensation from her waist down," he said. 

"She's got all of her wits about her, she's strong and we just just want to get home."

Nine Australians remain in the Bangkok hospital, and three are in the ICU with severe injuries. 

Doctors have also confirmed that a lot of those injured have got spinal issues after hitting their head and landing so hard on the ground, with several of them requiring surgery after showing signs of paralysis. 

Image: Today

Tags:
Travel Trouble, Singapore Airlines, Turbulence