The Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London's Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on April 12. The aircraft, carrying 242 passengers and crew, impacted a medical college hostel in the Meghani Nagar area, resulting in a devastating scene of broken walls and scattered debris. The crash occurred approximately five minutes after takeoff, at 1:38 PM local time.
A newly surfaced video shows the immediate aftermath of the crash, with plumes of thick black smoke billowing from the wreckage near the BJ Medical College. Amidst the chaos, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the tragedy, is seen emerging from the crash site. The video captures the moment a passerby recognizes Ramesh and guides him away from the dangerous area. Ramesh, an Indian-origin British national seated in 11A, miraculously survived the impact and is currently receiving treatment at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad.
Eyewitness accounts from students at BJ Medical College paint a harrowing picture of the crash. Students described the moment of impact, likening it to an earthquake as walls crumbled around them. The hostel, which housed approximately 50-60 students on the first floor alone, became a scene of chaos and panic. Some students were trapped amidst the rubble and had to be rescued, while others managed to escape on their own.
The crash claimed the lives of 241 people, including passengers and crew, as well as individuals on the ground. Among the victims were 169 Indian nationals, 52 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals, and 1 Canadian national. The tragic incident has sent shockwaves across the globe, with condolences pouring in from leaders worldwide, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited the injured at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash, with assistance from a U.S. team led by the National Transportation Safety Board. Preliminary reports suggest the plane lost signal less than a minute after takeoff, reaching an altitude of approximately 625 feet before descending. Aviation experts noted the plane's landing gear appeared to be down and flaps up, which should have been reversed during takeoff. The flight crew did not respond to calls from air traffic controllers after issuing a Mayday call.
The incident marks the first crash of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, raising questions about the possible causes of the disaster. Aviation consultant John M. Cox emphasized that the aircraft type has "extensive flight data monitoring," suggesting investigators will be able to determine what happened relatively quickly once the flight data recorder is analyzed.
