Nightmare in Ahmedabad: Air India Flight AI171 Plummets Minutes After Takeoff
Moments after takeoff, what should've been a routine London-bound journey turned into chaos. Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Flight AI171, lifted off from Ahmedabad Airport on June 12, 2025 at 1:38 p.m. local time. It never got far. In less than a minute, the plane lost control and slammed into a nearby residential area, killing 241 people, including passengers and crew. Shockwaves rippled through two continents as families anxiously waited for news.
This was not just another headline. The crash site—alarmingly close to a medical college—became a grim tableau. Mangled wreckage littered the ground, smoke billowed over rooftops, and emergency sirens filled the air. It wasn’t just those onboard who were in danger. Residents on the ground fell victim too, with reports of building collapses and fires. Although authorities haven’t given a clear count for ground casualties, the devastation left little doubt about the seriousness of the disaster.
A Lone Survivor’s Ordeal: 30 Seconds to Catastrophe
Incredibly, there was one survivor: Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British citizen from Leicester. Ramesh, sitting in seat 11A, told doctors that about 30 seconds after takeoff, he heard a massive bang echo through the cabin. Before he could comprehend what was happening, the aircraft began to rapidly lose altitude. The world turned upside down in seconds. Ramesh is still hospitalized, recovering from serious injuries, while trying to process the trauma.
The extent of loss stretches far beyond India’s borders. The flight manifest lists 169 Indian nationals and 53 British citizens among the victims. There was also one Canadian and seven Portuguese passengers who never made it out of Ahmedabad. News spread rapidly, with families in multiple countries scrambling for answers and support. Those in India have been directed to Air India’s special hotline, while relatives abroad have connected with the British Foreign Office for more information.
The aircraft’s black boxes—both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder—were quickly retrieved from the scene. Investigators hope these will provide clear answers about what caused the sudden and catastrophic failure. Early speculation points to a possible technical issue rather than foul play. However, with anti-terrorism units joining the probe, no theory is being ruled out just yet. Authorities are not taking any risks, even hinting at temporarily grounding all of Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet until investigators learn more.
- The plane crashed into a crowded neighborhood close to a teaching hospital.
- Several buildings suffered severe damage, sparking fires and further complicating rescue work.
- The exact number of casualties on the ground is still unclear.
- Emergency responders worked through wreckage and burning buildings, rescuing survivors and containing fires.
The aftermath has rattled communities in India and far beyond. Families are left with more questions than answers. Major airlines and the aviation world are closely watching, waiting for details from the recovered black boxes. As the investigation moves forward, the eyes of the world remain fixed on Ahmedabad, hoping for clarity and maybe—just maybe—some lessons that can avert the next tragedy in the sky.
Posts Comments
sunil kumar June 15, 2025 AT 03:37
The black box data will be critical. If this was a maintenance oversight or a known systemic flaw in the 787's hydraulic actuators, it's not just a tragedy-it's a preventable one. The FAA and EASA need to review Air India's maintenance logs immediately. This isn't speculation; it's due diligence.
Deepti Chadda June 17, 2025 AT 02:26
INDIA IS STRONGER THAN ANY PLANE!! 🇮🇳🔥 WHO CARES ABOUT FOREIGN AIRLINES WHEN WE HAVE AIR INDIA? THEY TRIED TO KILL US BUT WE STILL STAND!!
Preeti Bathla June 17, 2025 AT 19:29
Of course it happened. Air India has been flying with parts from 2008. I told everyone. I told them. The cockpit crew? Probably slept through pre-flight. This isn't an accident-it's negligence dressed up as 'routine'.
Aayush ladha June 18, 2025 AT 07:30
Actually, the 787 has the best safety record in its class. This is just media hype. Maybe it was pilot error. Or wind shear. Or a bird strike. Or aliens. Why not? You’re all blaming India like it’s a crime.
Rahul Rock June 19, 2025 AT 20:37
We mourn the dead. We honor the survivor. But we also must ask: how many times have we looked away while systems decayed? This isn't about blame. It's about responsibility. We owe it to the families to fix what's broken, not just scream louder.
Annapurna Bhongir June 21, 2025 AT 07:54
Another crash. Another headline. Another family gone. We keep saying it won't happen again. It always does.
PRATIKHYA SWAIN June 23, 2025 AT 06:22
Stay strong India. We got this.
MAYANK PRAKASH June 24, 2025 AT 12:28
I was at Ahmedabad airport last month. The runways looked fine. The staff seemed professional. But the terminal? Old. Cracked tiles. Broken AC. If the infrastructure is crumbling, what’s inside the plane?
Sonu Kumar June 24, 2025 AT 17:31
It’s tragic, yes-but also, frankly, predictable. The aviation industry is a temple of precision, yet here we are, entrusting lives to an airline whose corporate culture seems to prioritize cost-cutting over competence. The maintenance logs? Probably falsified. The pilots? Overworked. The regulators? Asleep. And now, 241 souls are gone because someone thought ‘close enough’ was good enough. This isn’t just failure-it’s moral bankruptcy wrapped in a corporate logo.
Akash Mackwan June 26, 2025 AT 06:20
This is what happens when you let bureaucrats run airlines. We need to fire every single executive at Air India. And then burn their offices. And then make them watch the footage. Every. Single. Day. Until they cry. And then we’ll see if they care.
Amar Sirohi June 26, 2025 AT 07:47
The crash, in its essence, is a metaphor for modern India’s soul-caught between the dream of global modernity and the gravity of institutional rot. The 787 was supposed to be a symbol of progress, a vessel of transcendence, yet it fell not because of physics, but because of a systemic erosion of accountability. We built wings but forgot the spine. We reached for the sky but left the foundation to rot. The survivor? He is not lucky. He is a witness. And witnesses carry the weight of truth. What will we do with it? Or will we, as always, turn away and say, 'It was just one plane.'
Nagesh Yerunkar June 27, 2025 AT 15:37
This is precisely why I told my daughter to never fly Air India. I said it in 2018. I said it in 2020. I said it in 2023. And now? 241 dead. And still, no one listens. 😔✈️💀 The government must nationalize the entire fleet and retrain everyone from the ground up. No exceptions. No delays. No excuses. This is not a tragedy. It is a consequence.
Anjali Sati June 29, 2025 AT 06:35
You think this is bad? Wait till you hear what happened to the maintenance crew who signed off on that plane. They got a bonus. For meeting targets. That’s right. Bonus. For killing people.
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