where an Air India passenger plane has crashed early reports indicate that the crash happened near the airport in

Amedabad

all right so this is the most vivid imagery that we have and this shows the moment of the crash moments after

becoming airborne what just happened with the Air India flight that crashed revealed itself in a chain of harrowing

events the aircraft a 12-year-old Boeing 787

8 Dreamliner operating flight AI 171 from Amedabad to London climbed into the

hazy midday sky on June 12th 2025 before an urgent Mayday call shattered the

routine of the cockpit eyewitnesses on the runway reported seeing the jet struggle to gain altitude its wings

failing to flex in the customary manner as it stalled and plummeted back toward the city below in the space of mere

seconds the promise of a transcontinental journey turned into the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in a

decade leaving families officials and onlookers grappling with incomprehension and grief before we start smash the like

and subscribe buttons for more updates

[Music] the initial chaos unfolded as flight AI

171 carrying 241 souls on board

169 Indian nationals 53 British citizens seven Portuguese and a Canadian and five

crew members departed from runway 28 at Sardar Valabai Patel International

Airport just 30 seconds into its climb at 138 38 p.m local time the flight crew

declared an emergency and within an agonizing heartbeat the jet inverted its trajectory and smashed into a medical

college hostel in the densely populated Meani Nagar district of Amedabad flames

and smoke billowed skyward as rescue teams sprinted toward the burning wreckage their efforts hampered by the

evening heat and the sticky monsoon haze settling over the city rescue and recovery operations commenced

immediately with local firefighters police and volunteers converging on the scene by late Friday officials reported

recovering at least 270 bodies including 241 from the fuselage and 29 from the

hostel’s charred remains a grim tally that would ultimately settle at 274

confirmed fatalities as additional casualties on the ground were identified the scale of destruction left countless

families waiting at temporary morgs for identification utilizing DNA samples submitted by distraught relatives to

match fragments of remains blood samples dental records and personal effects became reluctant witnesses to the

tragedy underscoring the severity of the impact and complicating hopes for swift

closure amid the carnage emerged a solitary figure of hope 23-year-old Vishwash Kumar Romesh seated in 11A who

survived the crash with burns and fractures but alive romesh later recounted how he felt the left side of

the cabin crumble around him how the door detached and how he scrambled through the gaping hole to safety “i

thought I would die,” he told journalists from his hospital bed his voice trembling with the memory of

broken metal and flame his miraculous escape narrated in an exclusive interview with NDTV offered a fleeting

bomb to a nation in mourning in the immediate aftermath India’s government ordered comprehensive inspections of all

Boeing 787 Dreamlininers in the national fleet a total of 34 airframes to verify

critical takeoff parameters electronic engine controls and fuel system integrity particularly focusing on those

equipped with GNX engines aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu emphasized that these extended surveillance measures

were precautionary yet imperative aiming to reassure a jittery public and forstall potential design or maintenance

issues concurrently DNA testing facilities operated around the clock

working to honor cultural imperatives for timely last rights and to alleviate the anguish of families awaiting word on

loved ones the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had until this catastrophe enjoyed a

sterling safety record since entering service in 2009 accumulating over 7

million flight hours without a single hull loss marketed as the flagship of modern aeronautics with composite

fuselage panels advanced aerodynamics and fuelefficient engines it became the

backbone of long haul fleets for dozens of carriers worldwide boeing and GE

Aerospace the engine manufacturer pledged full cooperation with investigators dispatching teams to

Amedabad to download cockpit voice and flight data recorders and to analyze maintenance logs their swift response

however did little to stem market turbulence boeing stock futures plunged nearly 9% in the wake of the crash

speculation about the proximate cause has coalesed around a possible cockpit configuration error aviation YouTuber

Captain Steve posited that the co-pilot may have inadvertently retracted the flaps instead of the landing gear

depriving the aircraft of essential lift during liftoff observers noted the absence of typical flex in the wings a

hallmark of properly configured flaps under load suggesting that the liftgenerating surfaces were retracted

prematurely initiating an unreoverable stall consultant Keith Tonkan and

aviation lawyer Peter Carter further highlighted the bewildering speed of events the timeline from takeoff roll to

impact spanned barely half a minute leaving scant margin for corrective action meteorological data and bird

strike analyses were rapidly ruled out the day was clear with standard temperature and pressure and no

significant wind shear or storm activity was logged radar scans indicated no flocks in the departure corridor and

engine examination revealed no evidence of bird ingestion guiding investigators away from environmental factors and

toward human factors or mechanical anomalies crystal Jen an independent safety analyst underscored that despite

rigorous automated safeguards in modern jets a momentary misconfiguration at the

wrong phase of flight could prove catastrophic recovering the blackbox units a flight data recorder and a

cockpit voice recorder was paramount teams operating amid the smoldering ruins extracted one recorder from the

wreckage’s southeast quadrant on June 13th with the second recovered hours later under a collapsed beam near the

hostel’s rooftop once stabilized and transported under tight security to New Delhi the devices will undergo decoding

to reveal critical variables flap and slap positions thrust lever angles

autopilot and auto throttle status and recorded cockpit chatter the timeline

for analysis was projected at 2 to 3 weeks a period of acute anticipation for

investigators and families alike on the regulatory front India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau AIB took

the lead inviting the US National Transportation Safety Board NTSB and the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch

A AIB UK under annex 13 provisions of the Chicago Convention this

international collaboration aims to pool expertise in flight recorder forensics structural metallurgy and human factors

the Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA has promised full transparency in its updates releasing

daily bulletins on debris distribution fluid sample analyses and cockpit

simulation reconstructions meanwhile a high-powered multiddisciplinary committee chaired by the Union Home

Secretary scrutinizes AirIndia’s operational protocols crew training records and maintenance schedules the

magnitude of the tragedy reverberated across India and worldwide in Amedabad

makeshift memorials of flowers and candles burgeoned at city squares while vigils were held in Mumbai Delhi and

Bangalore anguished relatives frustrated by slow identifications and limited

information flow gathered outside government offices demanding expedited repatriation of remains and

accountability social media campaigns using hash prey for Amedabad and #J justice4AI

171 trended on Indian and British platforms reflecting both collective grief and a yearning for answers for Air

India long buffeted by financial woes and a tarnished service reputation since its 2021 privatization by the Tata Group

the crash constituted a devastating blow the Tata Group swiftly announced compensation of RS1 crore approximately

$120,000 for the families of each deceased passenger alongside coverage of medical

expenses for any injured survivors analysts warned the airlines insurance premiums and passenger confidence would

suffer while Boeing faced fresh scrutiny over the 787’s flight control software

and GE over its GNX engines share prices for both companies saw heightened

volatility in the days following the crash international leaders offered condolences uk Prime Minister Rishi

Sunnach called it a day of profound sorrow and dispatched a team from the British High Commission to aid local

authorities the British royal family observed a moment of silence at the Trooping the Color ceremony wearing

black armbands in honor of the 53 British nationals lost on board

canadian and Portuguese officials similarly expressed grief pledging consular support to families and

investigating the circumstances of their citizens deaths in historical context

the crash of AI 171 marks India’s deadliest aviation accident since the

Chy Dodri mid-air collision in 1996 which killed 349 people that disaster

spurred sweeping reforms in air traffic control and collision avoidance systems investigators now wonder whether AI 171

will catalyze comparable regulatory and technological overhauls for mode confusion prevention enhanced stall

protection or crew resource management comparisons also draw lessons from the Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crash in

2019 where MCAS software flaws on a 737 Max led to fatal outcomes prompting

worldwide groundings and software redesigns a deeper technical dive suggests that the flap slat mechanism

typically governed by two independent torque motors and monitored by a dedicated position encoder could have

delivered misleading feedback if maintenance tolerances were exceeded preliminary checks on the Amedabad

maintenance hanger logs reveal that the left wing’s flap actuator was serviced last month but quality control signoffs

were delayed by a week due to spare moments after becoming airborne what just happened with the Air India flight

that crashed revealed itself in a chain of harrowing events the aircraft a 12-year-old Boeing 787

8 Dreamliner operating flight AI 171 from Amedabad to London climbed into the

hazy midday sky on June 12th 2025 before an urgent Mayday call shattered the

routine of the cockpit eyewitnesses on the runway reported seeing the jet struggle to gain altitude its wings

failing to flex in the customary manner as it stalled and plummeted back toward the city below in the space of mere

seconds the promise of a transcontinental journey turned into the world’s deadliest aviation disaster in a

decade leaving families officials and onlookers grappling with incomprehension and grief before we start smash the like

and subscribe buttons for more updates the initial chaos unfolded as flight AI

171 carrying 241 souls on board

169 Indian nationals 53 British citizens seven Portuguese and a Canadian and five

crew members departed from runway 28 at Sardar Valabai Patel International

Airport just 30 seconds into its climb at 1:38 p.m local time the flight crew

declared an emergency and within an agonizing heartbeat the jet inverted its trajectory and smashed into a medical

college hostel in the densely populated Meani Nagar district of Amedabad flames

and smoke billowed skyward as rescue teams sprinted toward the burning wreckage their efforts hampered by the

evening heat and the sticky monsoon haze settling over the city rescue and recovery operations commenced

immediately with local firefighters police and volunteers converging on the scene by late Friday officials reported

recovering at least 270 bodies including 241 from the fuselage and 29 from the

hostel’s charred remains a grim tally that would ultimately settle at 274

confirmed fatalities as additional casualties on the ground were identified the scale of destruction left countless

families waiting at temporary morgs for identification utilizing DNA samples submitted by distraught relatives to

match fragments of remains blood samples dental records and personal effects became reluctant witnesses to the

tragedy underscoring the severity of the impact and complicating hopes for swift

closure amid the carnage emerged a solitary figure of hope 23-year-old Vishwash Kumar Romesh seated in 11A who

survived the crash with burns and fractures but alive romesh later recounted how he felt the left side of

the cabin crumble around him how the door detached and how he scrambled through the gaping hull to safety “i

thought I would die,” he told journalists from his hospital bed his voice trembling with the memory of

broken metal and flame his miraculous escape narrated in an exclusive interview with NDTV offered a fleeting

bomb to a nation in mourning in the immediate aftermath India’s government ordered comprehensive inspections of all

Boeing 787 Dreamlininers in the national fleet a total of 34 airframes to verify

critical takeoff parameters electronic engine controls and fuel system integrity particularly focusing on those

equipped with GNX engines aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu emphasized that these extended surveillance measures

were precautionary yet imperative aiming to reassure a jittery public and forstall potential design or maintenance

issues concurrently DNA testing facilities operated around the clock

working to honor cultural imperatives for timely last rights and to alleviate the anguish of families awaiting word on

loved ones the Boeing 787 Dreamlininer had until this catastrophe enjoyed a

sterling safety record since entering service in 2009 accumulating over 7

million flight hours without a single hull loss marketed as the flagship of modern aeronautics with composite

fuselage panels advanced aerodynamics and fuelefficient engines it became the

backbone of long haul fleets for dozens of carriers worldwide boeing and GE

Aerospace the engine manufacturer pledged full cooperation with investigators dispatching teams to

Amedabad to download cockpit voice and flight data recorders and to analyze maintenance logs their swift response

however did little to stem market turbulence boeing stock futures plunged nearly 9% in the wake of the crash

speculation about the proximate cause has coalesed around a possible cockpit configuration error aviation YouTuber

Captain Steve posited that the co-pilot may have inadvertently retracted the flaps instead of the landing gear

depriving the aircraft of essential lift during liftoff observers noted the absence of typical flex in the wings a

hallmark of properly configured flaps under load suggesting that the liftgenerating surfaces were retracted

prematurely initiating an unreoverable stall consultant Keith Tonkan and

aviation lawyer Peter Carter further highlighted the bewildering speed of events the timeline from takeoff roll to

impact spanned barely half a minute leaving scant margin for corrective action meteorological data and bird

strike analyses were rapidly ruled out the day was clear with standard temperature and pressure and no

significant wind shear or storm activity was logged radar scans indicated no flocks in the departure corridor and

engine examination revealed no evidence of bird ingestion guiding investigators away from environmental factors and

toward human factors or mechanical anomalies crystal Jen an independent safety analyst underscored that despite

rigorous automated safeguards in modern jets a momentary misconfiguration at the

wrong phase of flight could prove catastrophic recovering the blackbox units a flight data recorder and a

cockpit voice recorder was paramount teams operating amid the smoldering ruins extracted one recorder from the

wreckage’s southeast quadrant on June 13th with the second recovered hours later under a collapsed beam near the

hostel’s rooftop once stabilized and transported under tight security to New Delhi the devices will undergo decoding

to reveal critical variables flap and slat positions thrust lever angles

autopilot and auto throttle status and recorded cockpit chatter the timeline

for analysis was projected at 2 to 3 weeks a period of acute anticipation for

investigators and families alike on the regulatory front India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau AIB took

the lead inviting the US National Transportation Safety Board NTSB and the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch

AIBU UK under annex 13 provisions of the Chicago Convention this international

collaboration aims to pool expertise in flight recorder forensics structural metallurgy and human factors the

Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA has promised full transparency in its updates releasing daily bulletins on

debris distribution fluid sample analyses and cockpit simulation reconstructions meanwhile a high-powered

multiddisciplinary committee chaired by the Union Home Secretary scrutinizes AirIndia’s operational protocols crew

training records and maintenance schedules the magnitude of the tragedy reverberated across India and worldwide

in Amedabad makeshift memorials of flowers and candles burgeoned at city squares while vigils were held in Mumbai

Delhi and Bangalore anguished relatives frustrated by slow identifications and

limited information flow gathered outside government offices demanding expedited repatriation of remains and

accountability social media campaigns using hash prey for Amedabad and #J justice4AI

171 trended on Indian and British platforms reflecting both collective grief and a yearning for answers for Air

India long buffeted by financial woes and a tarnished service reputation since its 2021 privatization by the Tata Group

the crash constituted a devastating blow the Tata Group swiftly announced compensation of RS1 crore approximately

$120,000 for the families of each deceased passenger alongside coverage of medical

expenses for any injured survivors analysts warned the airlines insurance premiums and passenger confidence would

suffer while Boeing faced fresh scrutiny over the 787’s flight control software

and GE over its GNX engines share prices for both companies saw heightened

volatility in the days following the crash international leaders offered condolences uk Prime Minister Rishi

Sunnach called it a day of profound sorrow and dispatched a team from the British High Commission to aid local

authorities the British royal family observed a moment of silence at the Trooping the Color ceremony wearing

black armbands in honor of the 53 British nationals lost on board

canadian and Portuguese officials similarly expressed grief pledging consular support to families and

investigating the circumstances of their citizens deaths in historical context

the crash of AI 171 marks India’s deadliest aviation accident since the

Chy Dodri mid-air collision in 1996 which killed 349 people that disaster

spurred sweeping reforms in air traffic control and collision avoidance systems investigators now wonder whether AI 171

will catalyze comparable regulatory and technological overhauls for mode confusion prevention enhanced stall

protection or crew resource management comparisons also draw lessons from the Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crash in

2019 where MCAS software flaws on a 737 Max led to fatal outcomes prompting

worldwide groundings and software redesigns a deeper technical dive suggests that the flap slat mechanism

typically governed by two independent torque motors and monitored by a dedicated position encoder could have

delivered misleading feedback if maintenance tolerances were exceeded preliminary checks on the Amedabad

maintenance hanger logs reveal that the leftwing’s flap actuator was serviced last month but quality control signoffs

were delayed by a week due to spare parts shortages whether this delay correlates with a misalignment or sensor

error remains under scrutiny but it underscores how supply chain disruptions can cascade into critical system

malfunctions a reconstructed timeline depicts flight AI 171’s journey 1:25 p.m

pre-flight checks completed 1:30 p.m push back 1:33 p.m takeoff clearance

1:38 p.m mayday declared 1 hour 38 minutes and 15 seconds PM descent

initiated 1 hour 38 minutes and 45 seconds PM impact investigators are

painstakingly matching cockpit audio timestamps with radar data and controller logs to confirm whether any

warnings flaps flaps or stall stall echoes preceded the crash this forensics

approach combining digital artifacts and human witness statements forms the backbone of modern accident

reconstruction amid logistical challenges of debris removal municipal authorities collaborated with Air India

to clear critical city infrastructure damaged by the impact hospital corridors were repurposed for triage and local

NOS’s provided psychological counseling to survivors and first respond corporate partners of Air India including airport

authorities and catering services have pledged to donate proceeds from upcoming events to the families of the departed

these gestures though small comfort against staggering loss illustrate a global solidarity in the realm of

commercial aviation looking ahead the investigative committee aims to issue its interim report within six weeks

recommending immediate safety directives based on flight data recorder analyses and preliminary metallurgical

assessments of fractured components long-term the DGCA is expected to propose amendments to training curricula

emphasizing critical configuration checks during high workload phases of flight for the broader industry the

tragedy reignites discussions on automation dependency manual flying proficiency and the human machine

interface in modern cockpits as the world awaits definitive answers the crash of Flight AI 171 stands as a stark

reminder of aviation’s razor thin margins between routine and ruin each

layer of investigation peels back assumptions about technological invincibility revealing that even the

most advanced aircraft depend on flawless synergy between human judgment and mechanical precision the lessons

drawn from this catastrophe will shape regulations design philosophies and training doctrines for years to come

with safety advocates hopeful that the blood spilled in Gujarat will catalyze enduring improvements across global

aviation in the aftermath of the initial shock attention swiftly shifted from the

mechanics of the accident itself to the intricate web of human and institutional responses that would define its legacy

among the first ripples were the personal accounts of those who had never boarded flight AI 171 but whose lives

would be forever altered by its fate airport ground staff who had cleared the jet for departure air traffic

controllers who had watched it vanish from their screens and medical personnel who treated the burned and broken all

found themselves thrust unwillingly into the public spotlight their testimonies

delivered in formal interviews and in some cases through social media painted a portrait of professionals grappling

with the psychological weight of near catastrophic missteps and split-second crisis controllers at Amedabad’s radar

facility described the surreal moment when instead of the regular climb profile they expected the transponder’s

altitude readout simply ceased to rise some were struck by the eerie calm in

the cockpit frequency following the TUR emergency call a break from the usual flurry of coordination that accompanies

an unfolding danger for these controllers whose training stressed constant vigilance the incident laid

harsh fluoresence the airlines new leadership team brought in as part of the Tata group’s overhaul found

themselves confronting an existential dilemma how to restore trust in an operation now synonymous with tragedy a

crisis communication plan normally a discrete playbook was unpacked and

deployed in real time officials drafted public statements pledging openness

scheduled press briefings and coordinated with the DGCA to ensure that every technical bulletin and interim

finding was shared promptly within days they had even launched a special website

containing a live feed of investigation updates and a dedicated hotline for families of passengers and crew

reflecting a newfound transparency meant to blunt mounting criticism yet

corporate comms alone could not soothe the broader question of public perception market analysts noted that

consumer confidence surveys in India’s civil aviation sector showed a steep drop in intent to fly with carriers

operating Dreamlininers even those without any direct operational ties to the accident competitor airlines

capitalized on this sentiment with promotional fairs and assurances of sound safety records signaling a shift

in the competitive landscape by mid July flights with 787 eight aircraft were

bearing load factors 5 to 10 percentage points below the previous quarter’s average a stark indicator that

reputation once damaged exacts a steep fair from the bottom line on the regulatory front the DGCA’s bulletin

soon gave way to an expanded safety oversight regime inspectors dispatched to airline maintenance facilities began

conducting unscheduled audits not only of structural components but also of recordkeeping practices supply chain

documentation and adherence to service bulletins dubbed Operation Double Check

this nationwide sweep uncovered lapses ranging from overdue hydraulic fluid analysis to missing signatures on

critical inspection logs while most infractions were deemed minor procedural oversightes the optics were damning

painting a picture of systemic laxity that regulators had perhaps underestimated in parallel international

aviation bodies invited India’s regulators to workshops focused on threat and error management a

methodology that shifts the focus from machine performance to human resilience delegations from Australia’s CASA

Canada’s TSB and Europe’s ISA shared case studies demonstrating how near miss incidents could be converted into

proactive safety enhancements these sessions held in Delhi and Bengaluru over several weeks featured

scenario-based simulations in full motion flight simulators forcing pilots and maintenance crews to confront

emergencies born of configuration errors automation failures and communication breakdowns the goal was to cultivate a

culture where small deviations were identified and rectified before they could escalate into catastrophe pressing

questions also arose about the role of automation in modern cockpits while some industry observers lauded the

Dreamliner’s advanced flight management system for reducing crew workload others warned that it risked eroding manual

flying skills flight instructor associations began revising syllabi to incorporate automation down training

modules requiring pilots to handfly complex procedures at high altitude

without relying on autopilot air India announced that its cadet program would include additional simulator hours

devoted to recognizing and responding to deceptive system cues a commitment mirrored by several other carriers in

the region amid these technical and institutional debates a broader societal

conversation unfolded around risk tolerance and the symbolism we attach to air travel opinion columns and leading

newspapers questioned whether regulatory capture where oversight bodies grow too cozy with the industries they regulate

had dulled India’s once robust safety vigilance editorials recalled past

accidents from the fiery midair breakups of the 1990s to runway excursions in

more recent years arguing that each should have served as a clarion call rather than a faded footnote in rural

and urban India alike families who once viewed flying as an aspirational leap up the social ladder now voiced their

apprehensions more openly with some opting for rail travel despite the longer journey times further down the

chain of consequence the legal aftermath began to take shape law firms in Mumbai

announced the formation of class action consortiums on behalf of victims families seeking damages not only for

loss of life but also for the mental anguish suffered by survivors and witnesses

international human rights advocates raised questions about uniformity of compensation pointing out that Indian

domestic law sets different thresholds for non-economic damages than British or Portuguese statutes negotiations over

jurisdictional arbiters hinted at protracted legal battles each side mindful that the final settlements would

carry presidential weight for future transnational accident claims on the ground in Amedabad community recovery

efforts offered a glimpse of resilience amid ruin the hostile building now a charred skeleton of girders and concrete

was cordoned off for structural assessment local architects volunteered to draft plans for a memorial garden

that would honor both the passengers and the innocent bystanders who perished fundraising campaigns spearheaded by

alumni of the medical college began churning out commemorative booklets recounting