Air India Plane Crash in Ahmedabad: A Tragic Disaster Claims Over 260 Lives

June 13, 2025, Ahmedabad, India – Two days ago, on June 11, 2025, Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed moments after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The catastrophic incident, one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent history, killed at least 269 people, including 241 of the 242 passengers and crew on board and dozens on the ground. Only one passenger, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived. As investigations continue, authorities have recovered one of the plane’s black boxes, offering hope for answers to the cause of this tragedy.

The Incident

Flight AI171 departed Ahmedabad at 1:39 p.m. local time (08:09 GMT) on June 11, 2025, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. According to air traffic control, the pilots issued a Mayday call shortly after takeoff, signaling a life-threatening emergency, but no further communication was received. Within minutes, the aircraft plummeted into the Meghani Nagar residential area, crashing into the cafeteria of a hostel at B.J. Medical College, where over 100 students were gathered for lunch. The heavily fueled plane, carrying nearly 125,000 liters of fuel for the long-haul flight, exploded on impact, creating a massive fireball and thick plumes of black smoke visible across the city.

Security camera footage verified by the Associated Press captured the plane’s final moments, showing it struggling to gain altitude before disappearing below the tree line, followed by a fiery explosion. The crash site revealed devastating scenes: the plane’s tail fin lodged in a concrete building, charred wreckage displaying the registration “VT-ANB,” and uneaten meals scattered in the hostel’s cafeteria, where a wall was blown out by the impact.

Casualties and Survivors

The sole survivor, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national of Indian origin seated in 11A next to an emergency exit, was rescued by locals and is receiving treatment at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital. Ramesh, described as “psychologically disturbed” but physically stable, recounted hearing a loud noise 30 seconds after takeoff before the plane crashed. “It all happened so quickly. When I got up, there were bodies all around me,” he told the Hindustan Times from his hospital bed. Tragically, his brother Ajay, seated elsewhere on the plane, did not survive. Ramesh’s family in Leicester, England, expressed heartbreak and frustration over the lack of support from Indian or UK authorities to visit him.

Among the victims was Vijay Rupani, former Chief Minister of Gujarat, confirmed dead by Union Minister C.R. Patil. The crash also claimed the lives of at least eight people on the ground, including four medical students and a doctor’s wife at the B.J. Medical College hostel. The Federation of All India Medical Association reported that 50 to 60 students were hospitalized, with at least four missing and two in critical condition. Ahmedabad police commissioner G.S. Malik noted that the death toll could rise as the plane crashed in a densely populated area. As of June 13, 265 bodies have been brought to Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital, with DNA testing underway to identify victims due to the severity of burns and dismemberment.

Investigation and Response

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the probe, with assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch, and a Boeing team. On June 12, one of the plane’s two black boxes was recovered from the roof of the B.J. Medical College hostel, a critical step in determining the cause of the crash. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu called the recovery “an important step forward.” Initial speculation points to possible engine failure, thrust issues, or improper wing flap configuration, as footage showed the landing gear unretracted and wing flaps in an unusual position. The 11-year-old Boeing 787, delivered to Air India in 2014, had completed over 700 flights in the past year, primarily on routes like Mumbai-Dubai and Ahmedabad-London.

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered Air India to conduct “additional maintenance actions” on its Boeing 787-8/9 fleet equipped with GE Aerospace GEnx engines and implement one-time takeoff parameter checks for all 787 departures starting June 15. While there was speculation about grounding the fleet, no such action has been taken. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg expressed condolences and pledged full support for the investigation, while the company’s stock fell over 7% in pre-market trading on June 12 amid renewed scrutiny of its safety record.

Official and Public Response

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and Civil Hospital on June 12, calling the disaster “heartbreaking beyond words” and assuring support for affected families. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the scenes as “absolutely devastating,” noting the significant number of British nationals on board. Pope Leo XIV and UN Secretary-General António Guterres also offered condolences. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, who visited the site, emphasized providing accurate information and deployed a “special team of caregivers” to Ahmedabad. The airline organized relief flights from Delhi and Mumbai for families of victims and set up a hotline (+91 8062779200 for international callers, 1800 5691 444 in India).

Tata Group, Air India’s parent company, announced compensation of ₹1 crore (approximately $116,000) for each victim’s family and will cover medical expenses for the injured. Emergency response teams, including 130 Indian Army personnel, worked tirelessly to extinguish fires and search for survivors, though the intense heat and fuel load left little chance of additional rescues.

Impact and Context

This is the first crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a wide-body jet introduced in 2011, and Air India’s deadliest incident since 2010, when 158 people died in a runway overshoot in Mangalore. The disaster has reignited concerns about aviation safety, particularly for Boeing, which has faced quality issues in recent years. For Air India, the crash threatens its efforts to modernize and rebuild its reputation under Tata’s ownership. The tragedy also highlights the risks of urban airports like Ahmedabad’s, located near residential areas.

As families await answers and mourn their loved ones, the focus remains on supporting survivors, identifying victims, and uncovering the cause of this horrific crash. The recovery of the black box offers a glimmer of hope for clarity, but the road to healing for Ahmedabad and the global aviation community will be long.

Sources:

• Reuters, June 12, 2025

• The New York Times, June 13, 2025

• NPR, June 12, 2025

• CBS News, June 12, 2025

• BBC News, June 13, 2025

• The Guardian, June 13, 2025

• The Hindu, June 12, 2025

• ANI posts on X, June 12, 2025