The Sky Was Not Silent – The Final Flight of AI-171
Chapter 1: 1:39 PM – A Call into the Void
The message was short. Urgent. Desperate.
Mayday, Mayday…
At precisely 1:39 PM on June 12, 2025, the voice of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal crackled over the Air Traffic Control (ATC) frequency from the cockpit of Air India flight AI-171. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, had barely lifted off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad when something began to go catastrophically wrong.
In the controlled chaos of an airport tower, every second matters. Every decibel from the radio carries the weight of hundreds of lives. But after that final Mayday call, there was only silence. The ATC tried again and again — no response. Within 36 seconds of takeoff, the plane disappeared from radar and plummeted from just 650 feet, crashing into the B J Medical College hostel in the Meghaninagar area, just 2 kilometers from the airport.
In that instant, one of India’s worst aviation disasters in nearly 15 years had unfolded. The wreckage blazed in fire and metal, smoke curling into the skies above Ahmedabad. The city stood stunned, its silence broken only by sirens, screams, and the dull roar of fire engulfing lives.
Chapter 2: The Weight of a Number – 274 Dead
The immediate aftermath brought a grim toll. Of the 242 people on board — 230 passengers, 10 crew members, and 2 pilots — only one survived: an Indian-origin British national, 34-year-old Ramesh Venkataraman, seated in 11A, near an emergency exit.
But the horror didn’t stop in the sky. On the ground, 32 more lives were claimed as the aircraft’s fiery descent tore through the medical college hostel. Among the dead: four young medical students, several hospital staffers, and even a 13-year-old boy, Akash, who had never been on a plane in his life. He had been sleeping on the pavement with his family, recently evicted and with nowhere else to go.
The final death toll stood at 274.
Chapter 3: A Plane in Perfect Order – Or So It Seemed
In the hours after the crash, public speculation ignited as investigators began their meticulous work.
The Boeing 787-8 had completed a Paris–Delhi–Ahmedabad flight earlier that day, arriving without any reported incident. It had been refueled and inspected for the London-bound leg. According to preliminary checks, there were no mechanical anomalies. No one raised a red flag.
Yet something went wrong in less than a minute.
Aviation Ministry Secretary S.K. Sinha addressed the media on Saturday:
“The aircraft began losing height after reaching just 650 feet. A ‘Mayday’ distress call was sent. ATC attempted contact, but there was no reply. The aircraft had already crashed.”
The black box was recovered from the site later that night, partially damaged but intact enough to potentially yield data on what occurred inside that cockpit in those final moments.
Chapter 4: Lives Lost and Lives Remembered
Among the passengers was Vijay Rupani, former Chief Minister of Gujarat, who had been traveling to London to visit his daughter. He perished in the crash, leaving a shocked political establishment and grief-stricken family behind.
The crew, too, had deep ties to Maharashtra. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, was a seasoned pilot and a resident of Mumbai. His co-pilot, Clive Sundar, hailed from the city’s western suburbs. Cabin crew member Deepak Pathak had recently moved to Badlapur in Thane district.
And there was Nirali Patel, a 32-year-old Indian-origin dentist from Toronto. The sole Canadian citizen on board, she had spent a few weeks in Gujarat for what her family described as a “social visit.” She left behind a grieving husband and a one-year-old daughter.
The names, the professions, the dreams — they filled every column inch and soundbite. But for many families, all that remained were ashes.
Chapter 5: The Survivor – Seat 11A
Ramesh Venkataraman had always preferred window seats.
On that Thursday afternoon, his seat, 11A, put him close to the emergency exit and the galley area. Investigators believe this small factor may have saved his life. When the crash occurred, that section of the aircraft broke away from the main fuselage just before the explosion. He was found unconscious, thrown into a pile of debris, with broken bones and burns, but breathing.
In interviews conducted days later, Ramesh recounted brief flashes of the chaos: a sudden jolt, alarms, fire, and screams. Then — nothing, until he woke up in the ICU of a local hospital, surrounded by machines and a flurry of cameras.
His testimony would later become critical in understanding what happened inside the aircraft.
Chapter 6: 36 Seconds That Changed Everything
In aviation, every second is a lifeline.
Between 1:39:00 PM and 1:39:36 PM on June 12, 2025, the fate of flight AI-171 was sealed. From takeoff to tragedy, less than the time it takes to read this paragraph. The aircraft had lifted from Runway 23L at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport under clear weather conditions. The control tower recorded optimal visibility and wind speeds.
Yet, shortly after gear retraction, the aircraft’s climb profile dipped. The Boeing 787-8 should have been rising at 1,500–2,000 feet per minute. Instead, its vertical speed slowed and then reversed, causing a loss of altitude. Data from flight tracking sources revealed a sudden loss of lift and engine thrust.
According to early analysis of the black box and flight data recorder (FDR), the left engine lost thrust at 400 feet, followed by a similar drop on the right side at 600 feet. The pilots attempted to throttle up and angle the nose higher — a maneuver which, in such situations, risks stall.
Whether it was dual engine failure, a technical misread, or a cascade of multiple anomalies — that is what India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and Boeing engineers must now determine.
Chapter 7: The Black Box Speaks
On Day 3 after the crash, teams recovered both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR). The CVR provided a chilling insight.
In the final 10 seconds before impact:
- 1:39:24 PM – Pilot (Sabharwal): “We’ve lost the left engine… No thrust. Trying restart.”
- 1:39:28 PM – First Officer (Sundar): “Right engine too… we’re losing altitude fast. Stall alarm!”
- 1:39:31 PM – Sabharwal: “Mayday, Mayday, May—”
The recording ends mid-sentence.
An initial analysis suggests the engines did not flame out due to fuel exhaustion — the aircraft had been fully fueled for a 9-hour transcontinental flight. Instead, investigators are exploring possibilities of:
- Dual bird strike (suspected based on body fragments and feathers found in the intake ducts),
- Hydraulic failure or engine compressor stall, and
- Flight control system fault in the FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control).
The last may prove especially significant. The aircraft’s FADEC is responsible for regulating engine performance. Any fault or miscommunication from the FADEC unit can result in incorrect thrust allocation, even with physically healthy engines.
Chapter 8: Fire and Steel – Rescue Under Pressure
It took just three minutes for the first fire engines to reach the site in Meghaninagar.
Local residents had already begun rescue efforts, pulling victims from the hostel rubble and burning fuselage. Several college students and hostel staff became unlikely heroes: among them, 22-year-old Junaid Shaikh, who broke his arm trying to drag three injured girls away from the burning structure.
Emergency teams faced two critical challenges:
- Intense fire and jet fuel blaze: The aircraft carried over 45,000 liters of aviation turbine fuel (ATF). Flames surged for nearly an hour, and explosions continued intermittently.
- Hostel collapse: Two floors of the medical hostel were pancaked by falling wreckage. More than 40 rescue workers had to cut through reinforced concrete by hand and with portable saws to reach trapped victims.
The injured — more than 50 in total — were taken to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. Many arrived with third-degree burns, blunt trauma injuries, and smoke inhalation. Hospitals quickly reached capacity.
Chapter 9: A City in Mourning
On the evening of the crash, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, himself a native of Gujarat, tweeted:
“The Ahmedabad air tragedy has left our nation devastated. Prayers for the families who lost their loved ones. Investigations are underway. Every effort is being made for survivors and victims’ families.”
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced ₹20 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased and ₹5 lakh for the injured. Flags across Gujarat were lowered to half-mast.
Schools and colleges in Ahmedabad suspended classes. Markets and government offices closed for 48 hours. A public memorial was held in Sabarmati Riverfront Garden, attended by thousands — including families of victims, airline officials, and dignitaries.
Chapter 10: Global Ripples – International Reactions
The Air India AI-171 disaster made headlines worldwide.
- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed condolences and ordered a joint investigation team to be dispatched, as 48 of the passengers were UK nationals.
- Canadian PM Justin Trudeau confirmed the death of two Canadian citizens and assured consular assistance to their families.
- France, where the aircraft was originally manufactured and maintained, expressed willingness to assist Indian authorities in technical analysis.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) called for a global safety audit of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner fleets, particularly those operated by Air India and other South Asian carriers.
Even the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in the US released an advisory to conduct urgent inspections of engine sensors and FADEC systems on Dreamliners delivered between 2020 and 2024.
The aviation world watched closely. Could this be an isolated failure? Or a systemic issue lurking beneath the surface?
Chapter 11: The Survivors’ Silence and Trauma
Only one person survived the wreckage of AI-171: Ramesh Venkataraman, an Indian-origin British national seated near the emergency exit in Row 11. His account, though fragmented, provides vital insight into the moments before impact.
Ramesh suffered fractured ribs, second-degree burns, and partial hearing loss, but doctors say it is the psychological trauma that may take longest to heal.
When interviewed by trauma psychologists and aviation investigators, Ramesh recalled:
“There was a strange noise, a shaking. The lights dimmed. The attendants looked confused, then the angle of the plane shifted. And then just heat… screaming. Fire. I think I passed out before the impact.”
He has no memory of being pulled from the wreckage, and when shown images of the site, reportedly broke down, repeating, “They were all alive… they were just alive.”
Mental health counselors have since been brought in to support him. Experts from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru have begun working on a long-term recovery plan. Ramesh may testify before the DGCA and AAIB if he is medically cleared.
Chapter 12: The Investigators’ Burden
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) launched a multidisciplinary task force within 12 hours of the crash. Leading the team is Group Captain Alok Ranjan (Retd.), a seasoned investigator with over two decades of experience in civil and military aviation.
Working alongside him are:
- Senior engineers from Boeing,
- Data analysts from the DGCA, and
- International experts from the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB UK).
They are working on four primary hypotheses:
- Dual Engine Thrust Loss: Caused by bird strike, compressor stall, or FADEC malfunction.
- Control System Failure: Possible software glitch in the Boeing 787’s flight management system.
- Pilot Error: Rare, given the captain’s extensive experience, but not ruled out.
- Sabotage or External Interference: Currently no evidence, but standard protocol mandates ruling it out.
Preliminary readouts from the black boxes confirm that both engines lost thrust independently, suggesting external or systemic causes rather than pilot mismanagement.
Chapter 13: Inside the Cockpit – Who Were the Pilots?
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, aged 56
- Over 18,000 flying hours.
- Joined Air India in 1995.
- Rated for Boeing 747, 777, and 787.
- Known for calm under pressure and a spotless safety record.
First Officer Clive Sundar, aged 38
- 5,400 flying hours.
- Joined Air India in 2016.
- Recently transitioned to the Dreamliner fleet.
- Married, father of two.
Audio recovered from the cockpit reveals a calm, methodical approach even as the plane lost lift. In the final seconds, neither pilot panicked. They followed emergency protocols.
“Deploying flaps… manual override… restart attempt…”
“Still no thrust… altitude falling… I have controls.”
Their coordination likely prevented a worse catastrophe. Had the aircraft not remained level in its final descent, it could have spiraled into a wider area with more fatalities on the ground.
Chapter 14: Victims of the Sky and Earth
This was not only an air tragedy — it was a ground-level massacre.
The aircraft struck B J Medical College Hostel Block A, housing 60 students and interns. Of those, 24 were killed instantly. Others suffered injuries ranging from minor cuts to traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Naina Shah, a junior resident, survived because she had taken a late lunch. Her usual seat near the window on the third floor was obliterated. She returned five minutes after the crash.
“I saw flames through the corridor… people screaming… bodies on fire. We’re trained to save lives — but that day we couldn’t even save our own.”
Funerals were held en masse. An entire medical batch lost three of its brightest students — Ishaan, Rehana, and Dhrumil, all under 25.
The state government has offered scholarships to their surviving siblings and renamed the new hostel block in their honor: Ishaan-Rehana-Dhrumil Memorial Wing.
Chapter 15: The Aircraft and Its History
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, tail number VT-ALV, delivered to Air India in March 2020.
Flight logs show:
- Over 9,300 flying hours,
- 12 transatlantic flights in the previous 30 days,
- No major maintenance issues.
However, VT-ALV was due for a systems upgrade, including FADEC software recalibration, originally scheduled for July 2025. Investigators are now examining whether this delay played a role in the system’s failure.
Boeing’s global recall in 2023 of 787s due to a known software lag in engine response during climb is being re-evaluated. Although VT-ALV was not flagged in that advisory, it shares the same build year as affected units.
This incident has reignited concerns over Boeing’s post-2020 production line quality control, already under scrutiny after the 737 MAX crisis.
Chapter 16: Institutional Response – Between Shock and Action
Within hours of the crash, India’s civil aviation ecosystem was thrown into overdrive. The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) began a coordinated response.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Rajeev Kumar addressed the press at 6:30 p.m. on the day of the crash, expressing condolences and promising a time-bound investigation. A three-tier crisis management system was activated:
- Immediate Response: Rescue and recovery by NDRF and local firefighters.
- Tactical Oversight: DGCA coordination with Ahmedabad ATC and airport authorities.
- Strategic Analysis: AAIB-led technical inquiry in collaboration with Boeing and GE Aviation (engine manufacturer).
In less than 24 hours, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a compensation package:
- ₹25 lakh for the families of each deceased passenger,
- ₹10 lakh for the injured,
- ₹50 lakh corpus fund for redevelopment of the damaged student hostel.
The Indian Air Force also offered logistical support, including airlifting of remains and forensic teams.
Chapter 17: Accountability of Air India – A Tragic Pattern
Air India, recently privatized under the Tata Group, faced an avalanche of criticism. Though the aircraft was technically sound according to its last inspection, deeper questions emerged:
- Why was VT-ALV operating without the latest FADEC software updates?
- Why were there two maintenance deferrals logged over the past 60 days, one relating to a thrust management discrepancy?
- Were Air India’s internal safety audits thorough or perfunctory?
These questions are now at the center of a parallel investigation launched by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Civil Aviation, chaired by MP Manoj Tiwari.
A former Air India pilot, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed:
“Post-privatization, there’s been a push for route expansion and load maximization. That’s good for business. But there’s also pressure to cut turnaround times. Sometimes inspections are hurried.”
Chapter 18: International Dimensions – Boeing’s Burden
With the crash involving a Boeing 787, the world’s spotlight turned again to the American aviation giant.
Aviation watchdogs in the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union are collaborating with India’s AAIB. Boeing’s own crash response team flew in from Seattle within 36 hours, led by Derek Halvorsen, Vice President of Flight Safety.
Preliminary internal communication leaked to Reuters revealed Boeing had been monitoring “isolated” incidents involving temporary loss of engine responsiveness on climb-out – exactly the phase AI-171 failed in.
Though the engines on AI-171 were GEnx-1B, manufactured by GE Aviation, there’s a complex interaction between Boeing’s flight control systems, engine FADEC software, and pilot manual override protocols.
Regulatory experts suggest:
- If systemic defects in thrust management are confirmed, a global recall of affected 787s may be mandated.
- Boeing could face multi-billion-dollar liability exposure, especially if civil suits are filed under international aviation law.
Chapter 19: Human Cost – A Portrait of the Fallen
The loss of 274 lives left India grieving. Families gathered outside Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, searching for news. Many bodies were charred beyond recognition, necessitating DNA profiling for identification.
Among the victims:
- Dr. Amina Farooq, a UK-based surgeon returning from a medical conference.
- Ankush and Priya Bansal, newlyweds traveling to London for their honeymoon.
- Manav Mehta, a 14-year-old returning to boarding school in Sussex.
- Captain Sumeet Sabharwal’s wife, who had seen him off just 90 minutes before the crash.
Memorials sprang up across India and the UK. Vigils were held at:
- Heathrow Terminal 4, where AI-171 was scheduled to land.
- Kamala Nehru Park, Mumbai, in honor of Indian passengers.
- St. James’ Square, London, where the British Indian community laid wreaths.
The Air India cabin crew union, AICCU, declared June 7 an annual day of mourning.
Chapter 20: Public Trust and Political Fallout
Public trust in Indian aviation, already shaken by past incidents, has taken another blow. The 2010 Mangalore crash, which killed 158, had led to major upgrades in runway safety protocols. But no reform followed on mid-air system failure protocols, which are now under scrutiny.
The Ahmedabad crash has renewed calls for:
- Independent Safety Oversight Authority, separate from DGCA.
- Mandatory third-party audits of aircraft systems every six months.
- Real-time telemetry transmission from aircraft to ground servers (already implemented in many countries post-MH370).
The political response, too, is under the microscope. Opposition leaders have accused the government of:
- Oversight lapses in the privatization process,
- Rushed airline expansion policies,
- Failing to enforce compliance in maintenance standards.
A special parliamentary debate is expected next month.
Chapter 21: Engineering the Future – Black Box Revelations
Three days after the crash, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) were sent to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in the United Kingdom for decryption, under international ICAO protocol.
Preliminary readouts revealed:
- Dual engine thrust rollback within 8 seconds of take-off.
- Autopilot engagement failure due to insufficient airspeed.
- Pilot conversation indicated manual override attempt, but insufficient altitude made recovery impossible.
- The final words from the cockpit: “Mayday… thrust gone… no lift…” followed by two loud alarms.
The black box analysis ruled out structural failure or bird strike. Instead, all data pointed to a complete loss of climb power due to thrust degradation, likely tied to a FADEC input misreading fuel-flow or turbine response.
This raised urgent flags:
- Was the digital thrust management system properly calibrated?
- Could a software update have prevented the crash?
- Why was engine performance telemetry not transmitting in real-time?
Chapter 22: Survivors, Witnesses, and the Sole Escape
Out of 242 onboard, only one soul survived: Aman Malhotra, a 27-year-old British Indian entrepreneur, seated in the 42nd row. Malhotra was thrown out of the fuselage during the crash due to the tail section shearing off and landing at an angle that partially shielded him from the explosion.
Currently being treated at King’s College Hospital in London, Malhotra recounted:
“I remember the screech, then black smoke. I felt weightless. Then… I woke up outside, with fire all around, but I was alive.”
His survival is being considered “miraculous” and will likely be studied by aviation safety experts to understand survivability zones in similar crash profiles.
Several local witnesses from Medhaninagar, the neighborhood where the plane crashed, provided critical insight:
- Lata More, a hostel cook, said, “It was as if the sun exploded. The whole sky turned red.”
- Ravi Yadav, an autorickshaw driver nearby, helped pull out charred bodies: “There was no scream. Just silence and fire.”
Their testimonies form a core part of the official AAIB dossier and are being archived for both public record and litigation.
Chapter 23: Legal Reckoning – Justice, Compensation, and Precedents
As mourning transitioned into inquiry, legal processes began to unfold on multiple fronts:
1. Civil Suits
Over 70 international families, including 26 from the UK and 9 from the UAE, have retained law firms to sue:
- Air India (as operator)
- Tata Sons (as owner)
- Boeing (as manufacturer)
- GE Aviation (as engine maker)
Claims are likely to exceed $3.5 billion, and some may invoke Montreal Convention 1999, which allows higher damage claims in proven negligence cases.
2. Criminal Negligence Investigation
The Ahmedabad Police Crime Branch has registered a case under Section 304A IPC (causing death by negligence) and is examining Air India’s engineering logs, pilot rosters, and vendor maintenance reports.
If gross negligence is proven – for instance, skipping recommended software patches – Air India executives and certifying officers could face charges.
3. Parliamentary Oversight
The Lok Sabha Standing Committee on Transport is preparing a white paper on:
- Privatization risks in critical infrastructure,
- Regulatory independence of DGCA,
- Whether the “no defect reported” standard is adequate in high-capacity jets.
Chapter 24: International Reverberations – Policy Shifts and Regulatory Reform
The crash has shaken global confidence in long-haul aviation safety, particularly regarding early-climb performance vulnerabilities. In response:
- FAA (USA) and EASA (EU) have mandated:
- Emergency review of FADEC software configurations for 787-8 fleets.
- Temporary restrictions on take-off weights under hot-and-high airport conditions like Ahmedabad.
- ICAO has called a global aviation summit in Montreal this August to discuss:
- Mandatory black box cloud mirroring,
- Onboard AI for anomaly detection,
- Independent aircraft airworthiness audits pre-departure.
Back in India:
- DGCA has rolled out Air Safety Directive 46A, requiring:
- Real-time engine performance monitoring on all wide-body aircraft.
- Pre-departure checklist logging via blockchain audit trails.
Air India has grounded 6 Dreamliners with similar engine configs pending full inspection.
Chapter 25: Memory and Memorial – Closure Amid Catastrophe
At the crash site in Medhaninagar, a permanent memorial is being constructed:
- 274 marble plaques, one for each victim.
- A central sculpture by artist Shilpa Gupta titled “The Silent Climb” – symbolizing the passengers who rose, but never landed.
On June 7, the first national day of remembrance for civil aviation disasters was observed, attended by:
- Victim families,
- Aviation stakeholders,
- Political leaders across parties.
Aman Malhotra, the sole survivor, lit the inaugural memorial torch with trembling hands.
In a powerful address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said:
“Let this crash not be a tragedy alone. Let it be a turning point. A call to build safer skies, stronger systems, and a compassionate aviation culture.”
Epilogue: A Wake-Up Call at 650 Feet
The crash of AI-171 was not merely a technical failure. It was the failure of a system – technical, institutional, regulatory, and cultural. It exposed cracks that went unnoticed or ignored in the pursuit of profitability, efficiency, or complacency.
It reminded a nation, and indeed the world, that flying is a privilege secured not just by engineering, but by vigilance, integrity, and constant improvement.
274 lives were lost. But if those lives lead to a reckoning that makes aviation safer for billions, their memory will not fade into smoke.
Also Read : New Vikhroli East-West Flyover Launches: Big Relief for Mumbai Commuters in 30 Mins
