Tragedy in Ahmedabad: Air India Dreamliner Crash Claims Over 260 Lives

In a devastating aviation disaster, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick Airport crashed moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday. The catastrophic event resulted in a death toll exceeding 260 people, including nearly all of those aboard the aircraft and dozens on the ground where the plane came down.

The aircraft plummeted into the vicinity of a medical college located about a mile southwest of the airport. The impact and subsequent fire caused widespread destruction, tearing apart the aircraft and damaging buildings, including a dining hall and a residential complex on the college campus. As night fell over Ahmedabad, rescue teams faced a grim scene, working amidst smoldering wreckage and unstable structures to recover bodies and search for any potential survivors.

Initial reports from officials painted a stark picture of the scale of the tragedy. Vishakha Dabral, a senior police official in Ahmedabad, stated early Friday that 269 bodies had been transported to the main hospital, cautioning that the final count would require DNA testing for definitive identification. Rescue personnel, doctors, and security officials at the site estimated that as many as three dozen people on the ground were killed, caught in the path of the descending and skidding jet.

A Lone Survivor Amidst Unspeakable Loss

Amidst the overwhelming loss, a single story of survival emerged. Air India confirmed that only one passenger from the 242 people aboard the flight — comprising 233 passengers and 9 crew members — had survived the crash. His name was identified as Viswash Kumar Ramesh.

Viswash Kumar Ramesh, a British citizen, was on vacation with his brother Ajay, who was also on the flight and did not survive. According to his younger brother, Nayan Ramesh, Viswash managed to call his family in Britain shortly after the crash. “I don’t know how I am alive,” Viswash reportedly told his family, expressing shock and disorientation from the wreckage. He made a video call to his father, saying, “Our plane crashed. I have no idea how I got outside.”

The Ramesh family home in Leicester, England, became a focal point of mourning and stunned disbelief. Nayan Ramesh described the family as “completely devastated and just in shock.” Viswash was taken to a hospital in India with multiple injuries but was reported to be in stable condition. Doctors advised him to remain on bed rest, and his phone was reportedly switched off as he recovered.

Video footage verified by The New York Times, filmed from a rooftop near the airport, captured the final moments of the flight. The video shows the jet descending steadily over buildings before a large explosion is visible on the horizon. Another verified video, surveillance footage from the airport perimeter, shows the plane briefly climbing after takeoff before losing lift and crashing less than a minute later. This footage, showing a “catastrophic lack of lift,” according to one social media post, is expected to be crucial for investigators.

The Crash Site: A Scene of Chaos and Complex Recovery

The scene at the B.J. Medical College campus was one of chaos and destruction. The medical students were having lunch when the plane crashed into their dining hall. Mohit Chavda, an intern, described hearing a blast followed by dust and smoke filling the room. “We only heard a blast,” he said. “Then we just saw the dust and smoke coming inside with force.” Lunch plates were left unfinished as students scrambled to escape.

The tail section of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was left dramatically jutting out of the damaged dining hall building. Officials at the site suggested the jet likely skidded after impact, dragging wreckage and causing further damage before igniting. The debris field extended over 400 meters, with large pieces of the aircraft scattered, including one wing lying on a roadway. Firefighters worked to extinguish smoldering wreckage and cool down burned buildings and trees.

The recovery and investigation efforts are complicated by the structural damage to the buildings. Experts noted the difficulty of sifting through debris without causing further collapses. Shawn Pruchnicki, a former airline accident investigator, predicted the recovery could take up to a month. Emergency crews must carefully dislodge large aircraft pieces, potentially using cranes, and build temporary supports for weakened structures while searching for victims and clues. The urban location also presents additional hazards, including potential gas leaks and a larger number of people affected on the ground.

Dr. Bharat Ahir, who arrived at the scene early, expressed concern about casualties in the nearby residential complex, separated from the dining hall by a narrow road. He noted that the front part of the plane appeared to have struck this building, where doctors and their families resided. Residents, accustomed to airport noise, initially thought the sound was just a low-flying plane until darkness and chaos enveloped them. “We didn’t know what to do — it was like our brains stopped working,” said Mohit Chavda. Many escaped based on “muscle memory,” only realizing the full extent of the disaster — a plane crash — once they saw the tail sticking out of the dining hall.

The Investigation Begins: Seeking Answers in a Complex Puzzle

Determining the cause of the Air India crash will be a complex and potentially lengthy process, likely taking months or even years. However, initial observations from aviation experts, particularly regarding the video footage, have prompted early hypotheses.

John Cox, a former airline pilot and safety consultant, noted that the video showing the plane descending with its nose pointed upward was unusual. “The plane’s position looks as if ‘it should be climbing, and in fact it’s descending,’” he said. “The question is why.”

Experts caution against premature conclusions, as crashes typically result from a confluence of factors, not a single issue. These can include mechanical failures, maintenance problems, environmental factors like bird strikes, or pilot error. Greg Feith, a former investigator at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), outlined some of the critical questions investigators will ask:

• Was the aircraft properly configured for takeoff?
• What were the pilots experiencing?
• Was there a loss of engine thrust?
• Was there fuel contamination or starvation affecting both engines?

The NTSB has announced it will send a team of American investigators to assist India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the inquiry. Britain’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) also offered assistance and is sending a team, holding “expert status” due to British citizens being on board. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will provide technical expertise.

Ben Berman, another former pilot and federal crash investigator, observed that the plane’s controlled descent in the video might suggest the pilots were attempting to slow it down before impact, a maneuver that could potentially reduce casualties. However, he stressed that this is just one possibility among many.

Environmental conditions, such as the high temperature exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Ahmedabad on the day of the crash, could also be a factor. High temperatures reduce engine thrust and air density, making takeoff more challenging and requiring careful calculation of performance parameters.

Crucially, the plane’s “black boxes” — the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder — are expected to provide vital insights within days of their recovery. The flight data recorder logs parameters like time, altitude, airspeed, and heading, while the cockpit voice recorder captures crew conversations and ambient sounds, including engine noise and warnings. The Boeing 787 records a vast amount of data, which should offer a detailed picture of the moments leading up to the crash.

Experts also noted the appearance of the wing flaps in the video. Typically, flaps and slats are extended during takeoff to increase lift at low speeds. While the landing gear was still down, the flaps appeared to be in a relatively retracted position. “If the airplane was not properly configured, that can present a performance issue,” Mr. Feith commented. Mr. Berman added that leaving landing gear down might sometimes be intentional to cool brakes on a heavy jet, but it could also indicate a major problem occurred immediately after takeoff, causing the crew to neglect retracting the gear.

While cautioning against direct comparisons, some experts drew a parallel to the 1987 Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crash, where the pilots failed to extend flaps and slats for takeoff, leading to a crash shortly after lifting off. However, the Air India crash could stem from any number of causes, and the investigation will need to explore all possibilities.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Safety Record Under Scrutiny

The crash of Air India Flight 171 marks the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft entered passenger service in 2011. This incident brings renewed scrutiny to the wide-body jet and its manufacturer, Boeing, which has faced a yearslong quality control crisis.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg extended condolences and offered the company’s full support to the investigation. While the cause is yet to be determined and may not be related to manufacturing defects, the crash inevitably highlights ongoing concerns about Boeing’s production practices.

The Dreamliner, designed for long-haul international flights, has over 1,100 aircraft in service globally. Air India operates nearly three dozen of these jets. The specific aircraft involved in the crash was a 787-8 model, built in 2013 and delivered to Air India in January 2014. According to Cirium, it had accumulated over 41,000 flight hours and nearly 8,000 takeoff and landing cycles, a typical usage for a plane of its age.

The Dreamliner program has encountered production issues in the past. Deliveries were paused for over a year until mid-2022 while Boeing addressed quality concerns, including gaps in the fuselage and incorrect titanium parts. Boeing stated at the time that these issues did not pose an immediate safety risk.

More recently, the FAA investigated claims made by a Boeing engineer and whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, regarding the assembly of the 787 fuselage at the North Charleston, S.C., factory. Salehpour alleged that shortcuts in the manufacturing process could lead to premature fatigue damage over time. Boeing strongly disputed these claims, citing extensive testing and inspections that showed no evidence of such issues, even after simulating flight cycles far exceeding the plane’s expected lifespan. The company maintained that its tests demonstrated the Dreamliner’s structural integrity.

Other whistleblowers have also raised concerns about the South Carolina plant, including John Barnett, a former quality manager who went public in 2019 with allegations of shoddy practices, such as leaving debris inside planes. Barnett died by suicide last year after a legal battle with Boeing, which he accused of retaliation. Boeing recently settled a lawsuit with his family.

It is important to note that the aircraft involved in the Ahmedabad crash was built in Seattle, predating the period and location of some of the most prominent whistleblower concerns related to the South Carolina plant.

The Dreamliner crash occurs as Boeing is still grappling with the aftermath of two fatal crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people. The company recently reached a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department regarding these crashes, agreeing to admit to obstructing federal oversight, pay fines, and invest in safety programs, a deal opposed by some victims' families.

Boeing has also faced other recent incidents, such as a door plug blowing out on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 flight in January 2024, leading to further scrutiny and reforms within the company, including management changes and increased regulatory oversight.

While the investigation into the Air India crash will determine the specific cause, the incident adds another layer of complexity to Boeing's ongoing efforts to restore public and regulatory confidence in its manufacturing and safety processes.

Air India's Journey: From State Ownership to Tata's Ambitions

Air India, India's national flag carrier, has a long history dating back to 1932. It was founded by the Tata Group but was nationalized in 1953. After decades under government ownership, marked by periods of financial struggle and operational challenges, the airline was privatized and returned to the Tata Group in 2022.

The Tata Group, India's most prestigious business conglomerate, has embarked on an ambitious plan to revitalize and expand Air India. This includes integrating other smaller airlines under the Air India brand and modernizing its fleet and operations. Alongside IndiGo, a relatively young airline, Air India now dominates India's rapidly growing domestic aviation market, together carrying 91 percent of domestic passengers.

Air India's safety record has also been under scrutiny in the past. About 15 years ago, the airline experienced a cluster of dangerous incidents. Before Thursday's crash, its most recent fatal accident occurred in August 2020, when an Air India Express flight overshot the runway in Kozhikode, resulting in 21 fatalities. Prior to that, in May 2010, an Air India Express plane crashed after skidding off a short runway in Mangalore, killing over 150 people. These incidents, along with others like near-misses and operational issues, raised concerns about the safety of India's aviation sector and Air India's professionalism at the time.

Since taking over, the Tata Group has aimed to improve the airline's safety standards and operational efficiency. However, the scale of the modernization required is significant, and the airline has reportedly faced challenges in acquiring enough new aircraft and hiring sufficient pilots to meet its expansion goals.

In response to the Ahmedabad crash, Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran expressed his deepest condolences to the affected families. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson stated that the airline's teams were working “around the clock to support passengers, crew and their families as well as investigators however we can.”

The crash is a severe blow to Air India and the Tata Group's efforts to transform the airline, placing its safety record firmly back in the spotlight as the investigation unfolds.

Global Response and Support for the Investigation

The tragic crash drew immediate reactions and offers of assistance from around the world. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the crash as “heartbreaking beyond words.” The British government stated it was working closely with Indian authorities to “urgently establish the facts” and opened a hotline for British citizens in India seeking information, as 53 British nationals were among the passengers.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain also conveyed his devastation at the scenes of the crash. The United States, through Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, offered support and resources beyond the NTSB investigators already en route. Secretary Duffy emphasized that the department would “not hesitate to implement any safety recommendations that may arise” from the investigation, prioritizing safety above all.

International cooperation is standard practice in major aviation accident investigations, particularly when the aircraft is manufactured in one country (USA - Boeing), operated by an airline from another (India - Air India), and involves passengers from multiple nations (India, UK, Portugal, Canada). The involvement of the NTSB and the British AAIB alongside India's AAIB will bring diverse expertise to the complex task of determining the cause.

As the investigation continues, the focus remains on recovering all victims, supporting the grieving families, and meticulously analyzing all available evidence — from the wreckage and crash site to the crucial data contained within the aircraft's black boxes — to understand precisely what led to this devastating loss of life.

Recent Major Aviation Disasters

While air travel remains statistically very safe, major crashes involving large passenger jets tragically result in high fatalities. The Air India crash is one of the deadliest in recent years. Here are some other significant civilian aircraft disasters from the past two decades, highlighting the varied circumstances and causes:

• Washington, January 2025: A regional jet collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport, plunging into the Potomac River and killing 67 people. The cause is still under investigation.
• South Korea, December 2024: A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crash-landed at Muan International Airport, killing all but two of 181 people on board. It was South Korea's worst air disaster in decades, with the investigation ongoing.
• China, March 2022: A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 domestic flight crashed, killing all 132 people aboard, marking China's worst air disaster in decades.
• Ethiopia (March 2019) and Indonesia (October 2018): Two crashes involving the Boeing 737 Max 8 — Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 (157 deaths) and Lion Air Flight 610 (189 deaths) — led to the worldwide grounding of the 737 Max fleet due to issues with its flight control software.
• Egypt, October 2015: A Russian charter flight crashed in the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people. The Islamic State claimed responsibility, and Russia confirmed a bomb caused the crash.
• Ukraine, July 2014: Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by Russia-backed separatists, killing all 298 people aboard. A Dutch court later convicted three men for their roles.
• March 2014: Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, en route to Beijing, disappeared with 239 people on board. Its fate remains one of aviation's greatest mysteries, believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
• India, May 2010: An Air India Express flight from Dubai overshot the runway in Mangalore, killing over 150 people. Investigators cited pilot error for missing the landing threshold.
• Atlantic Ocean, June 2009: Air France Flight 447 crashed into the ocean en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro, killing all 228 people. The crash was attributed to ice crystals affecting airspeed sensors and pilot disorientation after the autopilot disconnected during a thunderstorm.
• Brazil, July 2007: An Airbus 320 skidded off a runway in São Paulo, crashing into buildings and killing all 187 on board and 12 on the ground.

Each disaster serves as a stark reminder of the complexities inherent in aviation and the critical importance of thorough investigation to enhance safety protocols and prevent future tragedies. The focus now remains on Ahmedabad, as investigators piece together the final moments of Air India Flight 171 to understand the chain of events that led to such profound loss.