241 passengers were killed when an Air India flight, en route from Ahmedabad to London, crashed into a residential area shortly after takeoff on Thursday. The sole surviving passenger, British citizen Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who was seated in 11A, is recovering in the hospital. His brother stated that he “has no idea how he survived.” The number of ground casualties remains unknown, though local authorities report at least five fatalities. The aircraft struck a medical college hostel building, with much of the wreckage hitting the cafeteria during students’ lunchtime.
According to Air India, the flight carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Among them were 217 adults, 17 children, and two infants. Families of the victims are providing DNA samples to aid identification. Some, speaking to the BBC, are desperately awaiting the return of their loved ones’ remains, which currently cannot be identified.
The Indian government has launched an official investigation, joined by Boeing and U.S. aviation authorities. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced the formation of a high-level expert committee to examine the cause of the crash thoroughly. Boeing has sent a team of specialists to India and suggested scaling back its presence at the upcoming Paris Air Show to focus on the investigation. Air India has also established an internal inquiry committee.
U.S. aviation safety expert Anthony Brickhouse told the BBC that footage of the crash shows the landing gear was deployed during a flight phase when it should have been retracted. “If you didn’t know what was happening, you’d think the plane was preparing to land,” Brickhouse said. Other experts suggest a loss of lift, whatever the cause, as a likely reason for the crash, though they stress it is too early for definitive conclusions.
This marks the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 and Air India’s deadliest since 2020, when its Boeing 737 overshot the runway in Kozhikode, killing 18. Air India, once a state-owned carrier privatized in 2021, has a mixed but gradually improving safety record.
The British government expressed condolences and offered investigative assistance, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer called footage of the crash “devastating.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, born in Gujarat where the tragedy occurred, described the incident as “heartbreaking.”
Boeing’s shares fell 5% after the crash, another blow to the company grappling with years of safety issues. Engine manufacturer GE Aerospace is also sending a team to India to analyze cockpit data.
Though the investigation has just begun, global aviation authorities and experts emphasize the importance of patience and thorough analysis before reaching conclusions.
