The miracle of seat 11A and the tragedy of an Air India crash
Air India flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad airport on the afternoon of 12 June with 242 people on board. Less than a minute later, it had crashed into a medical college about 1km away.
Including those on the ground, at least 270 people were killed. But one passenger miraculously survived. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national sat in seat 11A, was able to walk away from the scene – though, as he found out soon after, his brother had died on board.
The aviation journalist Jeff Wise explains what investigators will be looking at to determine the cause the crash – from the plane's landing gear, to its wing flaps and possible pilot error. Helen Pidd asks how it was possible that Ramesh was able to escape with his life.
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Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Possible Air India crash cause revealed by investigators in huge breakthrough
It comes after British families of crash victims were said to be facing 'pain and frustration' over delays in the identification and repatriation of their relatives. The Air India plane crash tragedy could have been caused because the aircraft was running on an emergency power source, investigators have revealed. The Boeing Dreamliner came down in Ahmedabad, India, last Thursday, killing 270 people, including 241 passengers, and authorities launched a probe into what caused the crash. The Mirror reports they are now considering whether an emergency power generator may have been in use at the time. It comes after British families of crash victims were said to be facing "pain and frustration" over delays in the identification and repatriation of their relatives. Relatives of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa, who died in the crash, said they felt "utterly abandoned" by the UK Government and called for more support on the ground in India. Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer told the House of Commons that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) had set up its reception centre at a hotel close to the airport. He said: "We thought that would be the best place to receive British nationals rather than the hospital where, tragically, there are no living British nationals." He added: "But we keep these questions under review, as I know from my own experience in tragedies like this, it is difficult to get the assistance that British nationals need right first time, and we will learn lessons as each step goes through." Among the Britons believed to have been on the Gatwick-bound flight was Arjun Patoliya, who had flown to Gujarat from London to scatter the ashes of his wife, Bharti. Others included radiologist Dr Prateek Joshi, from Derby, and sisters Dhir and Heer Baxi, couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, and Raxa Modha, Rudra Modha and K Mistri, from Wellingborough. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. UK air accident investigators are in India assisting the Indian authorities, the Government said. The Foreign Office said: "Our staff continue to work around the clock in the UK and India to support the families and loved ones of all those impacted by the crash. "We have set up a reception centre at the Ummed Hotel, near the Ahmedabad airport, and have a dedicated helpline to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals - friends or family should call 020 7008 5000."If you are in India, you should call +91 (11) 24192100 for support, including through in-person consular staff who are available to support families of British nationals, including accompanying them to the hospital."Furthermore, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch has deployed an investigation team to support the Indian-led investigation on the ground, and UK forensic experts are there to support the consular response."
Wales Online
an hour ago
- Wales Online
Air India crash investigators reveal new breakthrough theory on cause of tragedy
Air India crash investigators reveal new breakthrough theory on cause of tragedy Investigators probing the crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad have given an insight into their investigation The fuselage of the crashed Air India jet after leaving Ahmedabad (Image: Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) The ill-fated Air India flight that tragically crashed last Thursday may have had an emergency-power generator in operation at the time of the crash, according to investigators. This revelation raises questions about whether the engine of the AI171 flight was functioning correctly during take-off. The aircraft met its tragic end in a residential area just seconds after departing from Ahmedabad airport. The Wall Street Journal reported that the failure of both engines during take off was being looked into as the cause of the devastating loss of at least 270 lives in the crash, including 241 out of the 242 people on board the plane and several individuals on the ground in the Indian city. The emergency system, known as a ram air turbine, is designed to deploy automatically in flight if both engines fail or if all three hydraulic system pressures are low, as per the instruction manual for Boeing 787 planes. This back-up system is typically activated if a pilot believes that both engines have failed. Engine failure can be triggered by a variety of factors, such as bird strikes or fuel issues. Anthony Brickhouse, a US-based aerospace safety consultant, told the Wall Street Journal that twin engine failures were extremely rare, reports the Express. Mr Brickhouse told the WSJ: "Engine failures can result from a variety of causes, including bird strikes or problems with fuel. Article continues below 'In commercial aviation, a dual engine failure is extremely rare. Our engines today are more efficient and reliable than ever.' The flight only reached a maximum altitude of 625 feet after leaving the airport in Ahmedabad. It stopped submitting location data just 50 seconds into the flight. The investigation is probing whether the flight suffered a loss or reduction of thrust but, despite the finding about the ram air turbine, investigators have not confirmed exactly what happened or why the emergency system was triggered. It is the first time that one of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets have suffered a fatal incident since the airliner went into service in 2011. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "Our staff continue to work around the clock in the UK and India to support the families and loved ones of all those impacted by the crash. "We have set up a reception centre at the Ummed Hotel, near the Ahmedabad airport, and have a dedicated helpline to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals - friends or family should call 020 7008 5000. Article continues below "If you are in India, you should call +91 (11) 24192100 for support, including through in-person consular staff who are available to support families of British nationals, including accompanying them to the hospital. "Furthermore, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch has deployed an investigation team to support the Indian-led investigation on the ground, and UK forensic experts are there to support the consular response."
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Heartbreaking moment British Air India crash survivor limps as he carries the coffin of his brother who died next to him with 240 others on doomed flight
The tragic sole survivor of the Air India crash tragedy has today carried the coffin of his brother, who died in the devastating incident. British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, from Leicester, had plasters on his face and was walking with a limp as he held up the casket of his sibling Ajay at the ceremony in Gujarat. The brothers were both onboard AI171, which last week crashed in a densely populated part of the west India city of Ahmedabad. Vishwash, who was sitting in seat 11A, escaped the wreckage moments before it was engulfed by flames. But despite being only one seat over, his brother, who he had been staying with in India, was tragically killed along with 240 others onboard the Gatwick-bound plane and dozens more on the ground. Ajay's coffin was adorned with colourful flowers, and was carried by several mourners, including his brother Vishwash. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner left at 1:17 pm local time and was seen taking to the skies at 1:38 pm at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. But within seconds, it had lost all power and crashed into a residential area in the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state. The aircraft, which was bound for London Gatwick, exploded in a fireball. The jet smashed into the doctors' hostel of BJ Medical College, sending debris, smoke and fire hundreds of feet into the air. Footage exclusively obtained by MailOnline showed Vishwash tried going back to the site of the inferno to save his brother. Vishwash told the first emergency service worker on site: 'My family member is in there, my brother and he's burning to death. I have to save him.' Emergency worker Satinder Singh Sandhu said: 'I walked nearer to Mr Ramesh, grabbed him by the arm and led him away to a waiting ambulance. I had no idea that he was a passenger on the plane and thought he was a resident of the hostel or a passer-by. 'He was very disoriented and shocked and was limping. There was also blood on his face, but he was able to speak. 'He told the paramedics that he was flying to London when the plane fell and that he wanted to go back to save his family.' Authorities investigating the deadly Air India crash believe the doomed flight was using an emergency-power generator. People look at the debris of an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad of India's Gujarat state, June 12, 2025 The preliminary finding has raised questions into whether the plane's engines were working properly during take-off. The Boeing was not much more than 400ft above ground when the two pilots experienced pilots onboard apparently lost power in both engines. They then had 17 agonising seconds to wrestle with the controls before their state-of-the-art plane smashed into a medical college packed with doctors, sending a fireball soaring into the sky. As investigations into the disaster are underway, one focus of the probe into the crash is whether the plane suffered a loss or reduction of thrust. Emergency systems used in planes are known as ram air turbines. They are small propellers that drop from the bottom of the plane's fuselage to operate as a backup generator. These emergency systems usually deploy automatically in flight if both engines have failed or if hydraulic system pressures are low, and can deploy if cockpit instruments lose power. Sources close to the investigation suggest that findings from the crash indicate that the plane's flaps and other flight-control surfaces had been configured for takeoff, the Wall Street Journal reports. Authorities investigating the tragic aeroplane crash are also studying the black boxes of the plane, and are also looking at whether it was overloaded. Experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are probing the crash with assistance from the UK, the US and officials from Boeing. Amit Singh, a former pilot and an aviation expert, said the recovery of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, or black boxes, are crucial to piece together the sequence of events. The cockpit voice recorder records pilots' conversation, emergency alarms and any distress signal made before a crash. The plane's digital flight data recorder stores information related to engine and control settings. Both devices are designed to survive a crash. 'The data will reveal everything,' Singh said, adding that the technical details could be corroborated by the cockpit voice recorder that would help investigators know of any communication between air traffic control and the pilots. India's aviation regulatory body has said pilots Sumeet Sabharwal and Clive Kunder made a mayday call before the crash. Singh said the investigating authorities will scan CCTV footage of the nearby area and speak with witnesses to get to the root cause of the crash. Additionally, Singh said, the investigators will also study the pilot training records, total load of the aircraft, thrust issues related to the plane's engine, as well as its worthiness in terms of past performances and any previously reported issues.
