Most airline passengers aren't big fans of turbulence, but it's a sometimes-unavoidable companion to flying, and is generally harmless. On a recent flight, however, the turbulence happened during the mealtime, causing quite a mess on the plane, according to ABC News.
Singapore Airlines flight SQ308, on route from Singapore to London, showed a mess reminiscent of a food fight after hitting a patch of turbulence and losing altitude. The sudden drop caused food to fly everywhere, and left a passenger's coffee on the ceiling.
A passenger, Alan Cross, on the flight uploaded photos of the mess to an Instagram account.
Passengers had been warned to expect some turbulence, Alan Cross told ABC News. The flight crew temporarily suspended the breakfast service and the fasten seat belt sign was lit. The captain came over the intercom to urgently order all flight attendants to immediately take their seats, according to Cross.
"I remember thinking that his tone was a bit odd," he said.
Cross described the turbulence as "like being in an elevator with a cut cable or free-falling from some amusement park ride." Everything that wasn't fastened, including a few people who apparently didn't follow the instructions on the seat belt sign, ended up on the ceiling.
Flight attendants quickly came through once the plane had resumed normal and checked for injuries and began cleaning the mess the turbulence had created. The flight lasted another 10 hours, and was then met at Heathrow by paramedics. Passengers were given chocolate as they deplaned.
"Eleven passengers and one crew member sustained minor injuries when the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of altitude and were attended to by medical personnel on arrival at Heathrow Airport," the airline said in a statement to Australia News. "Seat-belt signs were on at the time and meal services had already been suspended."
Cross didn't sustain any injuries, though he ended up with some sausage down his shirt.
"The cabin crew was amazing in the aftermath, as were fellow passengers who helped everyone around them in a calm and efficient cleanup," Cross said. "And the chocolates were a nice touch from the airline.
"That's why Singapore will remain my favorite carrier in the world," Cross added.
