The Air India crash has been a heartbreaking tragedy. As more information emerges, the pilot’s final words have now been revealed.
The Boeing 787-8, flight AI171, crashed near Ahmedabad Airport just 30 seconds after takeoff, carrying 242 people. Contact was lost during takeoff, and the airline later confirmed only one survivor.
Out of the 242 onboard—169 Indian, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian—241 are confirmed dead. The sole survivor is a 40-year-old British citizen, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, now hospitalized. Several people on the ground also died when the plane hit a hostel for medical students.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar issued a final distress call: “Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.” Sabharwal had 8,200 flight hours, Kundar 1,100.
This marks the first-ever crash of a Boeing 787. The cause is under investigation.