How turbulence works – and why it can be deadly

It's the moment even seasoned air travelers dread. One moment you are sailing quietly at 37,000 feet. In the next thing, without warning, all hell breaks loose.

Severe turbulence can throw passengers and belongings throughout the cabin of an airplane, making for a terrifying ride. In the case of a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 on a flight from London on May 21, the violence of the experience left a British man dead and more than thirty injured as the plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok.

Fatalities are unusual. But while turbulence does not normally cause deaths, ...