Viswashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India Flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad, India, is recounting his miraculous escape from seat 11A after the plane went down shortly after takeoff on Thursday. The British national of Indian origin, who was on his way home to London, described the harrowing moments leading up to the crash and his unbelievable survival.
Speaking from his hospital bed, the 40-year-old Ramesh told DD News that he couldn't believe he made it out alive. "I can't believe myself how I came out of it alive because for a while I thought I was going to die as well," he said. "But when I opened my eyes, I saw that I was alive. So I tried to open my seat belt, and I was able to get out."
Ramesh clarified to The Hindu that he "just walked out" of the plane. He explained that when the door broke, he saw a bit of space and managed to escape through it. Video footage circulating on social media shows Ramesh limping away from the crash site, his white t-shirt smeared with blood and dirt. In interviews, he is seen with a laceration on his face and a bandage on his left hand, which he said was slightly burned in the fire.
According to Ramesh, the plane felt like it "came to a standstill" in mid-air for about 5 to 10 seconds shortly after takeoff. "The green and white (cabin) lights turned on in the flight. I could feel engine thrust increasing to go up, but it crashed with speed into the (building)," he recounted. He was seated in 11A, which happened to be near an emergency exit on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. Ron Bartsch from AvLaw Aviation Consulting noted that in this specific configuration, seat 11A was "obviously the safest seat" due to its proximity to the exit. However, he and other experts cautioned that seat configurations vary and survivability in a crash is difficult to predict.
Dr. Dhaval Gameti from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where Ramesh is being treated, told the Associated Press that Ramesh was "disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body" but is out of danger. Reports indicate he suffered impact injuries to his chest, face, and feet.
Tragically, Ramesh's brother, who was seated next to him on the flight, did not survive. Ramesh had been visiting family abroad with his brother and was on his way back to his wife and child in London when the disaster struck.
The Air India flight, bound for London, crashed into a medical college hostel in a residential area of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff. The crash resulted in at least 241 fatalities, including all other passengers and crew members on board, as well as people inside the building. Authorities are working to identify the victims, many of whom were charred beyond recognition, using DNA testing.
The Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, with assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, has launched an investigation into the crash. The aircraft's "black box," containing the flight data recorder and voice recorder, has been recovered, which Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said marks an important step forward in the investigation.
In the wake of the crash, Air India has been ordered to conduct extra safety checks on its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 planes as a preventative measure. The incident has sent shockwaves across the globe, with many recognizing the sheer improbability of Ramesh's survival. As George Lamson Jr., the sole survivor of a 1985 plane crash, noted, these events leave a lasting echo in the lives of those who have lived through similar experiences, with the weight of the trauma often surfacing years later.
