Passenger on Seat 11A Survived Air India Crash; Trouble Started 30 Seconds Into Flight

Passenger on Seat 11A Survived Air India Crash: An Air India flight bound for London crashed just after taking off from Ahmedabad airport about 1:40 pm local time (IST), Thursday afternoon.

Air India said earlier the AI 171 flight (787-8) crashed in a residential area close to Ahmedabad airport, five minutes after taking off (at 1:38pm IST).

Also Read: Eyewitness Recounts Air India Crash Horror: “Dead Bodies and Debris All Over”

According to Air India, AI 171 flight operated with 242 passengers and crew members. Of that total, there were 169 Indian passengers on board, 53 British passengers, 1 Canadian passenger, and 7 Portuguese passengers.

“The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information,” the airlines said in a post on X. “Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.”

Also Read: Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Alia Bhatt Calls Incident ‘Devastating’, Sends Prayers for All on Board

What We Know About Crash

1. An Air India flight from Ahmedabad, bound for London crashed on Thursday in a residential area, just minutes after taking off. Over 100 people are feared dead.
2. The plane took off at 1:39, and shortly after made a Mayday call indicating an emergency. After that the flight was unreachable.
3. According to Flightradar24, the Air India flight lost signal at 08:08 UTC (13:38 IST) less than one minute after taking off, at an altitude of 625 feet. "The aircraft reached a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet (airport altitude is about 200 feet) and then it started to descend with a vertical speed of -475 feet per minute,” Flightradar24 said.
4. The flight crashed on approach to Gatwick airport into a residential area nearby. Part of the plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner struck the BJ Medical College hostel where a number of students were having lunch at the mess.
5. A resident doctor said a large number of students and staff in the mess were harmed. “Those who have been injured have suffered both burns and other serious injuries,” the doctor said. Authorities have not provided prompt confirmation of the destruction or casualty figures.
6. Images shared on social media showed a cloud of black smoke billowing coming from near the Ahmedabad airport.
7. Prime Minister said that the accident is "heartbreaking beyond words". "The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected," he wrote on X.
8. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the images from Ahmedabad are devastating, with the country's King Charles also apparently shocked.
9. The aircraft was being operated by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal has 8,200 hours of flight hours while the first officer had 1100 hours of flight hours.
10. It is the first such crash in India since 2020 when an Air India Express flight overshot a tabletop runway at Kerala’s Kozhikode, skidded off the runway, and nosedived into a valley, resulting in 21 dead passengers.

Also Read: Air India Blacks Out Social Media Headers, Display Pics Following Ahmedabad Crash