In a devastating tragedy unfolding in western India, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a residential area near Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff, killing over 200 people. The London-bound Flight AI171 departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport early Wednesday morning but lost altitude rapidly after reaching just 825 feet, crashing into the BJ Medical College doctors’ hostel less than a minute into flight. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud bang followed by an explosion that lit up the dawn sky.
Incredibly, officials confirmed a sole survivor: Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 38-year-old British national who had been seated in 11A. According to emergency services, he escaped the burning aircraft through an emergency exit seconds before the cabin was fully engulfed in flames. “Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” Ramesh told local media from his hospital bed, still in shock. Air India released a manifest listing 230 individuals onboard: 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian.
In a twist adding to the gravity of the unfolding investigation, Akash Vatsa, a Delhi-based tech entrepreneur, revealed he flew on the same aircraft from Delhi to Ahmedabad mere hours before the fatal incident. In now-deleted posts on X (formerly Twitter), Vatsa documented multiple technical malfunctions during his flight. “Air conditioning didn’t work, call buttons were dead, reading lights were out. The whole cabin was sweltering, and people were fanning themselves with magazines,” Vatsa wrote. “I took those videos to alert Air India. Now I can’t stop thinking, it could have been us,” he later told local reporters.
A full-scale investigation is now underway. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in coordination with Boeing and international aviation experts, is working to recover the flight data and cockpit voice recorders. While early speculation suggests a potential engine malfunction or power failure, officials stress that no conclusions should be drawn until forensic analysis of the wreckage is complete. Former Air India pilot, Flight Lt. Minoo Ruci Wadia, noted: “The pilot did all he could with the altitude available. With buildings ahead and no lift, it was an impossible situation.”
In a public statement, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran announced a compensation package of ₹1 crore (~$120,000) to each bereaved family and pledged to rebuild the BJ Medical hostel. Global condolences followed, including remarks from King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy confirmed that crisis teams are active in London and New Delhi. As search teams comb the wreckage, the tragedy has sparked urgent questions: Were Akash Vatsa’s complaints overlooked? Did this aircraft show signs of deeper systemic failure? Was this preventable? “Approximately 13% of accidents involving commercial aircraft happen during take-off,” revealed aviation expert Graham Braithwaite.
