The recent Air India crash has been devastating. New details continue to emerge, including the pilot’s final words.
Yesterday, an Air India Boeing 787-8 (flight AI171) carrying 242 passengers crashed near Ahmedabad Airport just 30 seconds after takeoff. Communication was lost during ascent, and the airline later confirmed only one survivor.
Of the 242 onboard, 241 have been confirmed dead. The sole survivor, 40-year-old British citizen Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, is being treated in hospital. The passengers included 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian. Several people on the ground also died, as the plane struck a hostel housing medical students.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar issued a mayday call before the crash: “Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.” Sabharwal had logged 8,200 flight hours, Kundar had 1,100.
This is the first crash involving a Boeing 787, and investigations are ongoing.