The investigation into the Air India Flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad is underway, with initial scrutiny focusing on a video that appears to show an object detaching from the aircraft moments before the disaster. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, June 12, 2025, resulting in a catastrophic loss of life. All but one of the 242 people on board perished when the plane crashed into a residential area near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
The video footage, widely circulated on social media, has caught the attention of investigators. It purportedly captures a piece of debris falling from the aircraft just seconds before it erupted into a fireball. Aviation experts are analyzing the footage to determine the nature of the object and whether its detachment played a role in the crash. While it is too early to draw definitive conclusions, the presence of this anomaly adds a layer of complexity to the investigation.
Adding to the urgency, another Air India flight had to make an emergency landing in Phuket, Thailand, on Friday, June 13, following a bomb threat. Authorities have since confirmed that no explosives or suspicious objects were found, calling off the emergency.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the inquiry, with assistance from teams from the US and UK. Boeing has also offered its support. Investigators have recovered one of the two "black boxes" - the flight data recorder - which should provide crucial insights into the final moments of the flight. The data recorder was found within 28 hours of the crash. The cockpit voice recorder is yet to be recovered.
The crash site is a scene of utter devastation. The aircraft impacted a building used as accommodation for doctors at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital, causing extensive damage. Emergency responders have recovered over 200 bodies, and the death toll is expected to rise as the wreckage is cleared. Identifying the victims is proving challenging, and authorities are relying on DNA analysis to match remains with family members.
Amidst the tragedy, there is one survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national. He was seated in 11A and is currently recovering in hospital. He recalls the lights inside the aircraft flickering moments after takeoff, followed by the sensation of being "stuck in the air." He managed to escape through an opening in the fuselage after the plane crashed. He saw the aircraft crew and passengers die in front of his eyes.
The incident has brought back painful memories of the 2010 Air India Express Flight IX-812 crash in Mangalore, where 158 people lost their lives. That flight overshot the tabletop runway and plunged into a gorge. The court of Inquiry determined the cause of the crash to be the captain's failure to discontinue the unstabilized approach.
As the investigation progresses, the focus remains on understanding the sequence of events that led to the crash and whether the object seen falling from the plane played a critical role.
