Ahmedabad, India – "I'm the luckiest man alive; it's a miracle," declared Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India Flight 171 crash that occurred on June 12, 2025. The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport, killing 241 people on board and an additional 19 on the ground.
Ramesh, a 40-year-old British citizen of Indian origin, was seated in 11A, next to an emergency exit. He recalls the aircraft accelerating but struggling to gain height before crashing into a medical college hostel near the airport. According to a preliminary report, the crash was caused by both engines losing thrust after their fuel control switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF seconds after liftoff. The cause for the switch movement remains under investigation.
"Everything happened in front of my eyes," Ramesh recounted in an interview from his hospital bed shortly after the crash. "I don't believe how I survived. For some time, I thought I was also going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive, and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape". He described seeing bodies and pieces of the plane all around him.
Ramesh sustained "impact injuries" to his chest, eyes, and feet. He was later released from the hospital on June 17, five days after the crash. However, his recovery continues to be an uphill battle.
In a recent statement, Ramesh described his survival as a "miracle" but expressed the immense grief he feels over the loss of his brother, Ajay, who was also on the flight. "God gave me life but took all my happiness, and from my family," he said. "It completely brought down my family … it's very difficult for me and my family". He also stated that he experiences constant flashbacks and struggles with sleep.
The Air India crash was the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since the model was launched commercially in 2011. It was also India's deadliest air disaster in nearly three decades. The crash site was located in a densely populated neighborhood, where the plane slammed into a dormitory at B.J. Medical College. The intense heat of the post-crash fires, estimated to have reached 1,500 °C (2,700 °F), complicated victim identification. By June 28, the remains of all 260 victims had been identified, primarily through DNA analysis.
Following the crash, Air India cancelled several flights and reduced international flights on widebody aircraft by 15 percent for a few weeks. This was partly due to heightened safety checks of its Boeing fleet, as ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The airline's owner, Tata Group, announced that it would pay 1 crore Indian rupees (approximately $115,000 USD) as compensation to the families of those who died in the crash.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of India is conducting a technical investigation into the cause of the crash, with assistance from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the United Kingdom's air accidents investigation branch. The final report is expected within a year of the crash.
