An Adelaide man on an international trip with his wife has described the terrifying feeling of free-falling as Singapore Airline pilots navigated severe turbulence during a nightmare flight this week.

Hallet Cove man, John Hall, was returning to home from a holiday in Iceland with his wife, Jenny, on the flight from London to Singapore on Tuesday when the plane hit severe turbulence and plummeted almost 2000m within a few minutes.

One person died of a heart attack and dozens were injured during the incident, which the airline said happened “suddenly” about 10 hours into the flight.

The plane had 56 Australians on board when it was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok.

Hall became emotional as he remembered babies in basinets being thrown through the cabin.

“The child just flew into her hands. Sorry, it gets a bit hard to talk about. She was able to save it,” Hall said.

The interior of Singapore Airline flight.The interior of Singapore Airline flight.
The interior of Singapore Airline flight. Credit: Stringer/REUTERS via CNN

“(There was) blood all over the place. Blood down seat, one man held on to the base of his seat because he didn’t have a seat belt, and he just went flying.”

Hall said he and his wife had their seatbelts strapped, which saved them from being injured.

Aviation experts said many injuries could have been prevented if more passengers were wearing seatbelts.

Another Adelaide man said his wife could be in a Bangkok hospital for several weeks after being injured.

The woman was standing up when the plane dropped, and her husband told the ABC she was “not in a good way”.

John and Jenny Hall were returning home from a holiday to Iceland.John and Jenny Hall were returning home from a holiday to Iceland.
John and Jenny Hall were returning home from a holiday to Iceland. Credit: Supplied

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said her thoughts were with those affected by the incident.

“This is a terrible experience that these people have gone through,” she told Sunrise on Wednesday.

“I know the embassy in Bangkok and the High Commission in Singapore are actively trying to contact those Australians … we will do everything we can to help.”

– With AAP and Hannah Foord

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