On June 12, 2025, Air India flight AI171 – a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick – crashed just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Scheduled to depart at 1:10 p.m., the flight lifted off at 1:39 p.m. from Runway 23. Within about 30 seconds, at roughly 650 feet altitude, the heavily fuelled aircraft suddenly lost altitude and plunged into the Meghani residential quarters near the BJ Medical College campus, bursting into flames. Rescuers described a massive fireball and thick black smoke visible for kilometers. One local witness said he “heard a very loud noise” and saw smoke and debris scattered around burning buildings where doctors’ quarters and a mess hall were hit. Flight data show that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal issued a final Mayday call reporting “no thrust, losing power, unable to lift” just before the breakup.
Aircraft, Flight Details, and Casualties
The ill-fated aircraft was an 11-year-old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operated by Air India. It carried 242 people (230 passengers and 12 crew, including two pilots) as per DGCA figures. The manifest listed 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian among the passengers. Among those aboard were Gujarat’s former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and a number of medical professionals traveling home.
In the crash’s aftermath, authorities confirmed that 241 of the 242 people on board were killed. Only one passenger – British national Viswashkumar Ramesh (seat 11A) – survived. He was hospitalized with burns and injuries but is expected to recover. In addition to the onboard fatalities, at least four people on the ground (three doctors and a doctor’s wife) were confirmed dead when parts of the plane struck the hospital hostel and mess. Around 21 resident doctors in the mess were injured (burns and fractures). Thus, the confirmed death toll stands at about 245 – the worst single-plane accident in India’s history. (Local police later counted some 265 bodies, suggesting up to 24 on the ground, but official tallies remain under final confirmation.) Rescue crews recovered hundreds of body bags from the debris field, which spanned roughly half a kilometer.
Emergency Response
Emergency services responded immediately. Multiple fire engines and over 50 ambulances converged on the crash site. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Air Force, Border Security Force, and National Security Guard were deployed, along with ambulances and police from nearby cities. According to officials, about 180 NDRF personnel from Gandhinagar and Vadodara arrived to assist with firefighting and rescue. Civil police, Gujarat state emergency crews, and volunteers cleared debris while medical teams treated survivors and the injured. The airport shut down for about two hours following the accident, and flights were temporarily grounded; partial flight operations resumed later that evening. Indian Railways even deployed high-speed trains to help stranded passengers travel between cities while air services were disrupted.
Eyewitness Accounts
Onlookers and building occupants described a sudden, terrifying scene. A witness located about 200 meters from the crash site said he heard “a very loud noise” and immediately saw smoke and flames; on reaching the area, he found aircraft debris and wreckage everywhere. Many residents in the doctor’s quarters reported frantic screams and saw the plane’s wing and fuselage embedded in walls. Some university staff in the hostel mess narrowly escaped – dozens had just finished lunch and left the building moments before impact. One physician noted that “the death toll in the mess would have been much higher” had the timing been minutes earlier. Another eyewitness at the airport saw smoke after boarding a flight and realized the crash had occurred nearby.
Official Statements
The government and airline immediately launched rescue efforts and investigations. Air India issued a statement saying “Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad–London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today… we are ascertaining the details”. Later, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson held a public address urging accurate information and assuring support for victims’ families and investigators: “We understand that people are eager for information… we will continue to share accurate and timely information… For now, our teams are working around the clock to support passengers, crew and their families – as well as investigators – however we can,” he said. Tata Sons (Air India’s owner) chairman N. Chandrasekaran expressed “profound sorrow” and announced a compensation of ₹1 crore for each family of the deceased.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media, calling the crash “heartbreaking beyond words” and saying he was “stunned and saddened” by the tragedy. President Droupadi Murmu tweeted that she was “deeply distressed” and that “the nation stands with the victims in this hour of indescribable grief”. Home Minister Amit Shah spoke immediately with Gujarat’s Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, who rushed to Ahmedabad. CM Patel ordered an all-out emergency response, directed hospitals to prepare a “war footing” to treat the injured, and set up helplines for victims’ families. Gujarat’s Health and Home departments were mobilized to manage casualties at the Civil Hospital.
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation activated an emergency Operations Control Room in Delhi to coordinate with local authorities, while DGCA/AAIB dispatched technical teams to Ahmedabad to investigate. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu-Kinjarapu praised the recovery of one “black box” and said it was an “important step forward in the investigation”. State Minister Murlidhar Mohol, speaking to the press, confirmed that “Air India’s flight AI171 crashed this afternoon with a total of 242 people on board. Rescue operations are currently underway… it will take some time before we can confirm the exact number of casualties,” and announced that senior ministers were en route to the site.
Investigation and Preliminary Analysis
As of this writing, the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Indian authorities are analyzing cockpit voice and flight data recorders (the “black boxes”) to reconstruct the final seconds. The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) was found on the rooftop of a BJ Medical College hostel building near the crash site. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) – which captures pilot communications – has not yet been recovered. Data from the FDR will reveal the aircraft’s speed, engine settings, and other parameters up to the crash.
In the meantime, aviation experts are studying available videos of the takeoff. Several clips show the Dreamliner climbing with its landing gear still down at 400+ feet, which is abnormal. “Normally, within five seconds of liftoff, pilots retract the landing gear,” noted one safety expert. The extended gear suggests the crew was preoccupied with an emergency. Some analysts have speculated about a possible dual-engine flame-out, perhaps due to a bird strike or fuel contamination, which could cause loss of thrust and a stall. Others point to the heavy fuel load for the long-haul flight, which likely intensified the post-crash fire. At this stage, however, officials caution that nothing is confirmed until the black box analysis is complete.
Impact and Context
The crash has deeply shaken the local community and the nation’s aviation sector. The residential quarters and mess hall at the medical college were heavily damaged; images showed personal belongings and even lunch trays strewn amid wreckage. Hundreds of students and family members waited at hospitals to identify the dead. Ahmedabad airport normalised operations later in the day with limited flights, but many travelers were stranded or rerouted, and special trains were run for relief.
In the broader aviation industry, the incident is unprecedented: it is the first fatal crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner anywhere in the world. It is also India’s deadliest air disaster since the 1996 mid-air collision near Charkhi Dadri (349 killed) and the worst civil aviation accident in the country in decades. The last major crash was in 2020, when an Air India Express flight crashed at Kozhikode (21 killed). Until now, Air India’s safety record had been relatively strong. The twin tragedy has prompted urgent calls for a review of flight safety protocols and infrastructure in India.
Investigators with the DGCA and AAIB will take months to analyze evidence and determine a probable cause. In the meantime, official statements emphasize support for victims and transparency in the probe. The Civil Aviation Minister has pledged full cooperation and an international-standard inquiry. For now, the nation mourns the unprecedented loss of life, honours the heroic efforts of rescue teams, and awaits answers from the flight recorders that may explain how Flight AI171 met disaster just moments after takeoff.
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