Air India crash has highest number of British deaths in a flight disaster since 9/11 terror attacks
THE Air India crash has resulted in the highest number of British deaths in a flight disaster since the 9/11 terror attacks.
A total of 52 British citizens were last night missing, feared dead, after rescue teams recovered more than 200 bodies at the crash site.
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Firefighters hose down the scene after the Air India horror crash
Credit: Reuters
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Landing gear from the plane at the scene
Credit: EPA
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The tail of the plane is seen hanging from the edge of a building after the crash
Credit: AFP
The toll of 67 Brits killed in the 9/11 attacks in 2001 on New York's World Trade Centre was higher.
The last major UK air disaster saw 47 people killed in January 1989 when a Boeing 737 attempting an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport crashed on an embankment of the M1 near Kegworth, Leics.
In August 1985, a British Airtours Boeing 737 bound for Corfu caught fire on the runway at
Manchester
Airport, killing 55 on board.
But the deadliest air crash in Britain remains the 1972 Staines Air Disaster, when a BEA flight crashed on take-off from Heathrow. All 118 people on board were killed.
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And in 1988, the
Last night, a team of British air crash investigators was being rushed to the crash scene in Ahmedabad, India, as
They included pilot error, a bird or drone strike, or a freak change in wind direction causing a deadly double-engine stall.
Concerns over possible pilot error by experienced
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Most read in The Sun
It appeared to show the twin-engine jet's wing flaps retracted — possibly too early — moments before the crash.
Pilots and experts said it is vital that the flaps are set to the correct position at take-off to maximise lift.
Air India passenger plane 'carrying up to 242 people heading for UK' crashes in fireball near Ahmedabad Airport
Wheels and the undercarriage are also supposed to be lifted quickly once the plane is airborne, to reduce drag.
But video footage of the crash jet shows its wheels were still down as it began descending.
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A disastrous strike from a flock of birds is also possible, but not obvious from video footage.
Weather may also be a factor, with temperatures at the time of take-off close to 40C (104F). But reports suggested the air was relatively still and there were no signs of freak gusts, either from locals or on the video.
The only other possible cause would be a technical fault in one of the most modern and reliable aircraft flying today.
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December 1988: 43 Brits died in the Lockerbie terrorist bombing
Credit: Getty
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September 2001: 67 Brits died in jet attack on the Twin Towers
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June 2025: 52 UK residents missing in today's crash
A man who claimed
Akash Vatsa posted on X that he noticed 'unusual things' during its flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad on Thursday morning. In the footage, he can be heard saying: 'The AC is not working at all. As usual, your TV screens are also not working, neither is the button to call the cabin crew. Nothing is working. Not even the light is working.'
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Mr Vatsa said he originally filmed the clip to make a complaint to Air India, but shared it online following the disaster to highlight issues with the doomed plane.
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Since its launch in 2011, the Boeing Dreamliner has had a near- faultless safety record and been involved in no fatal accidents. But teams of Boeing experts were being scrambled in the US last night in a bid to head off safety concerns — which have blighted the company's image in recent years.
There are more than 1,100 787s in service, with most major international airlines prizing the model's fuel efficiency and low noise levels.
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Officials from India's
FOUR CRASH THEORIES
WING FLAPS IN WRONG POSITION
VIDEO evidence suggests the flaps were retracted and landing gear down, which would have meant minimal lift and increased drag.
One theory is the landing gear was stuck and pilots retracted the flaps to reduce drag or the flaps were faulty, causing the plane to stall.
A BIRD STRIKE CRIPPLED ENGINES
A BIRD strike could have taken out both of the plane's General Electric engines.
In 2021, a Dreamliner aborted take-off in Mexico after birds flew into one of its engines. A study in 2018 found Ahmedabad airport had 'a high potential of bird-aircraft collision hazards'.
MISTAKE BY ONE OF THE PILOTS
THE 787-8 is highly automated with pilots making key decisions, but human error cannot be ruled out.
PLANE DIDN'T USE ENOUGH RUNWAY
PLANES get less lift on a hot day due to lower air density, so need to go faster.
Flight AI171 took off in 40C heat in the early afternoon sunshine. It's suggested the amount of runway used was less than 2,000m when a full plane on a hot day usually needs a run of 2,500m.
They record all actions taken by pilots and audio from the cockpit. Lt Col John R Davidson, a former US Air Force pilot and commercial aviation safety consultant, said: 'There are a number of possible scenarios — thrust or engine performance issues, excessive aircraft weight, poor flap configuration — or a more critical failure that affected the aircraft's ability to climb.
'Weather, wind shear or even bird strike can't be ruled out.'
Capt Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot, said footage showing the plane's descent 'looked like a case of multiple bird hits wherein both the engines have lost power'.
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He added: 'The take-off was perfect and just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending.
'This can happen only in the case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift.'
India yesterday accepted an offer of assistance from the UK's specialist air accident investigation team and a unit was en route.
Boeing boss Kelly Ortberg last night said: 'Our deepest condolences go out to the
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Brit couple Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who are feared dead, posted this a video from the airport before boarding the doomed flight
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Also feared dead are British couple Akeel Nanabawa and Hannaa Voraje with their daughter Sara
Credit: PA
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Pilots issued a mayday call in the air
Credit: X
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Huge plumes of black smoke could be seen billowing into the sky
Credit: X
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Video showing Brit survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh walking out of the crash
Credit: Twitter
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People stand near debris at the site of the plane crash
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Firefighters work at the site of the plane crash
Credit: AFP
India's dark aviation history
A LONDON-BOUND Air India flight crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The following are details of some other airline accidents in India in recent decades:
AUGUST 2020
At least 18 people died and 16 were severely injured when an Air India Express Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway in the southern city of Kozhikode during heavy rain, plunged into a valley and crashed nose-first into the ground.
MAY 2010
An Air India Boeing 737 flight from Dubai overshot the runway at the airport in the southern city of Mangaluru and crashed into a ravine, killing 158 people on board.
JULY 2000
More than 50 people were killed when a state-owned Alliance Air flight between Kolkata and the capital, New Delhi, crashed in a residential area of the eastern city of Patna.
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The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Tiny detail in Brit sole survivor's gripping recollection of how doomed Air India jet went down may help solve mystery
THE death-cheating Brit sole survivor of the Air India disaster has revealed a clue something was wrong just moments before the crash. Vishwash Ramesh, 40, said the cabin lights began flickering before the jet sank through the air - a detail which could help solve the Advertisement 7 Vishwash Ramesh in hospital, visited by Indian PM Narendra Modi Credit: AFP 7 The Brit staggered away from the wreckage relatively unscathed Credit: Twitter 7 Investigators are scrambling to figure out what went so wrong with the plane Credit: Reuters Recalling "Suddenly, the lights started flickering - green and white. "The aircraft wasn't gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded." Vishwash's flickering lights revelation comes after a passenger, who took the plane the day before the crash, claimed electrical parts such as the back-of-seat screens weren't working. Advertisement read more on the disaster Aviation experts have speculated that the reports of dodgy electrics could be a sign of a power failure, possibly explaining the crash. Air India is keeping an open mind as to what went wrong and caused Theories being considered include issues with the engine thrust, flaps and landing gear - as well as a bird strike and a pilot error. And the Indian government's investigation is also considering whether Air India was at fault in any way. Advertisement Most read in The Sun India's aviation regulator had recently ordered the airline to safety check its entire Boeing 787 fleet. Vishwash is the only person who can provide an insider's witness account of the moment - and previously said he has "no idea" how he survived. 'I opened my eyes & slipped out'…Brit sole survivor of Air India crash details escape He said: "I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me [...] I walked out of the rubble." The lucky escapee speculated: 'I think the side I was on was not facing the hostel. I don't know about others." Advertisement Other analysts have suggested he managed to escape thanks to a Vishwash's seat was 11A, right next to the emergency door, which is understood to have blown off when the plane struck the building and then . 7 Government officials beneath the tail of the plane, which remains wedged in a building Credit: EPA 7 Vishwash's boarding pass shows that he sat in seat 11A Credit: HT Photo Advertisement In the unbelievable footage, a tiny object is seen flying away for a split second - right before the jet is engulfed in flames. Investigators continue to analyse the footage and search for the mystery piece of debris as they try to find out what caused the horror crash. Recalling the moment of disbelief when he found himself alive, Vishwash said: "At first, I thought I was dead. Later, I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage. "I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening and crawled out." Advertisement 7 Vishwash's brother, Nayankumar Ramesh, said the survivor had phone home to say he was 'fine' Credit: ITV 7 Luggage of the passengers lies in a pile at the crash site Credit: EPA "When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. "Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital." Advertisement Vishwash that the plane caught fire before he fought through the rubble - and then exploded when he was just out of harm's way. Footage shows Vishwash, staggering and caked in blood with locals helping him an ambulance. Speaking in Hindi, he says: "I just got out of the plane, it exploded." From there he was rushed to hospital, and has since heaped praise on the medical staff treating him. Advertisement He said: 'My treatment is going well, and the people are very supportive.' Vishwash's brother Ajay was onboard the plane and died.
Extra.ie
8 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Tragic stories of Air India passengers just emerging
A man who had travelled to India to carry out his late wife's final wish, is among the dead in the Air India disaster. Dad-of-two Arjun Patoliya was heading home to the UK after a vigil to scatter his wife's ashes in the Narmada River in the Amreli region near Ahmadabad, as was her final wish. His wife Bharatiben had tragically died the previous week in London, leaving their two young daughters, aged four and eight, devastated. Smoke rises after a plane crash shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in India's western state of Gujarat. Pic: Nandan Dave/Anadolu via Getty Images Mr Patoliya was heading home to the UK and boarded flight AI 171 after completing the funeral ceremony for his young wife the previous day. He died along with 240 other people aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner as it fell from the sky on take off from Ahmadabad airport yesterday afternoon (Thursday) and slammed into the densely populated area of Meghani, less than one minute after take-off. The story of the Patoliya family is just one of many harrowing accounts emerging in the wake of the tragedy, and while investigators begin the task of trying to piece together exactly what happened, the human cost of the disaster is just emerging as relatives share photos and videos their loved ones had sent as they prepared for take off. The Air India flight AI171 that crashed in Ahmedabad. Pic: EyePress News/REX/Shutterstock Dr. Prateek Joshi, and his wife Dr. Komi Vyas, sent a photo of their three children, huge grins of excitement on their faces, to their relatives in India and the UK, captioning the photo 'New Beginnings' as they began their journey to a new life in London. Dr. Joshi had been working in the UK for a number of years, and his wife and three children were moving to join him there. The children, twin boys aged five and a little girl of eight years of age died alongside their parents in the crash. And their stories are just two of many which will no doubt come to light in the coming days. Every single passenger on that plane had their own reasons for taking that flight, not knowing what lay ahead. Firefighters work at the site where Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad. Pic: Sam Panthaky/AFP via Getty Images Whatever the Air Accident Investigators conclude from their examination of the wreckage and the limited conversations harvested from the Black Box flight recording, the human cost of this tragedy and the suffering and pain of relatives who waved loved ones off at Ahmadabad, as well as those waiting with open arms in London, is immense. And those stories are just beginning.
The Irish Sun
8 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Girl left ‘tasting jet fuel' in ocean & horror 2-mile fall – miraculous plane crash survivors…& why guilt haunts victims
SOMETIMES, in the midst of disaster, miracles happen. Just moments after taking off, 13 Vishwash Ramesh is the lone survivor of the devastating Air India crash that happened yesterday Credit: HT Photo 13 The flight, bound for the UK, came crashing down into buildings shortly after take-off Credit: Getty 13 Footage captured the terrifying moment the Air India flight crashed into the ground Credit: x/nchorAnandN 13 It was initially thought all 242 on board had been killed Credit: Twitter Astonishing footage showed Brit He was even able to produce his boarding pass before being whisked off to hospital, where he is being treated for minor injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet. Given the scale of disaster when plane crashes happen, it is very rare only There are only a handful of people who can say they were lucky enough to be the sole survivor. But many are left with scars - both physical and mental - traumatised by memories of plummeting from the sky, and haunted by the sudden loss of their family members. Speaking to the media shortly after his miraculous survival was confirmed, Vishwash said: 'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. 'It all happened so quickly. When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. " Dr Marianne Trent, clinical psychologist and author of the Grief Collection, said Vishwash is likely to suffer from survivors guilt. She said: "There's no real sense why that should have been the one seat where the sole survivor sat. "People often swap seats on planes and he might have a sense of 'why me?'" Brit survivor WALKS AWAY unscathed from Air India plane crash after jumping from flaming jet 'America's Orphan' Vishwash isn't the only person to have walked away from a plane crash, losing family members in the process. At just four years old, Cecelia Crocker became the sole survivor when Northwest Airlines flight 225 crashed just moments after taking off from Detroit, in 1987. The other 154 people on board were killed, as were two people on the ground. But Cecelia Crocker survived - becoming known as 'America's Orphan'. "I think about the accident every day," said Crocker, now 42. "It's kind of hard not to think about it when I look in the mirror. I have visual scars, my arms and my legs and I have scars on my forehead." 13 At just four years old, Cecelia Crocker was the only survivor in a 1987 plane crash in which she lost all her family Credit: Sole Survivor 13 It is believed Cecelia's mum shielded her during the crash Credit: Sole Survivor 13 Cecelia in the hospital as a four-year-old after the crash Credit: AP Though Cecelia doesn't remember the incident herself, her mum, dad, and six-year-old brother David were all killed. It is believed that Cecelia's mum, Paula, shielded her. "When I realised I was the only person to survive that plane crash, I was maybe in middle school, high school maybe," Crocker said. "Being an adolescent and confused, so it was just extra stress for me. I remember feeling angry and survivor's guilt. Why didn't my brother survive? Why didn't anybody? Why me?" Dr Trent added that these feelings can linger on for years and affect every aspect of their lives. "You might not feel worthy of people's good thoughts and sympathy because you're not the one who died,' she said. There's a black hole between the moment when I was seated in the plane and the moment I found myself in the water Bahia Bakari "People with survivor's guilt withdraw into themselves, their world becomes smaller, there's an impact on their functioning, their ability to get things done.' Clinging for life Back in 2009, a Yemenia Airways flight plummeted into the Indian Ocean with its engines at full throttle. All 152 on board were killed - except 12-year-old She was left drifting in the water for hours with 'the taste of jet fuel' in her mouth, and only a piece of debris to cling on to. Speaking to a French court, she recalled the moment things started to go wrong. 'I started to feel the turbulence but nobody was reacting much, so I told myself it must be normal,' said Bahia. 'I felt something like an electric shock go through my body. There's a black hole between the moment when I was seated in the plane and the moment I found myself in the water.' 13 Bahia Bakari miraculously survived by clinging onto wreckage when she was aged just 12 Credit: AFP 13 The Yemenia Airways flight plummeted into the Indian Ocean Credit: AFP 13 Bahia spoke out about her experience for the first time in a French courtroom Credit: AP She remembers trying to climb up on to the wreckage, but lacked the strength to do so in the choppy waters. It was only in the hospital that she was told she was the lone survivor. Jungle fall Others who survived found themselves not in the water but in thick jungle - yet just as far from civilisation as anyone stuck in the ocean. Aged just 17, she survived not only a two-mile fall to the ground but a ten day trek through the Amazon. After flying into a dark cloud, her plane became engulfed by lightning, she recalled. I was in freefall. I could see the canopy of the jungle spinning towards me Juliane Koepcke 'My mother and I held hands but we were unable to speak. Other passengers began to cry and weep and scream,' she told the BBC. 'My mother said very calmly: 'That is the end, it's all over'. Those were the last words I ever heard from her. 'The plane jumped down and went into a nose-dive,' added Juliane. 'It was pitch black and people were screaming, then the deep roaring of the engines filled my head completely. 'Suddenly the noise stopped and I was outside the plane. I was in freefall. I could see the canopy of the Alone with a broken collarbone and deep cuts to her legs, and wearing only a short, sleeveless mini-dress and white sandals, she began to walk. 13 Juliane Koepcke trekked through the Amazon for ten days aged just 17 13 Annette Herfkens spent eight days in the Vietnamese jungle after her plane hit a mountain ridge Credit: Refer to Caption 13 Jim Polehinke was the only survivor of the 2006 Comair crash - in which he was co-pilot Credit: YouTube Only a small bag of sweets kept her from total starvation. Initially thinking she was hallucinating, Juliane came across a boat and a hut where she spent the night, pulling maggots out of a wound in her upper arm, before finally a group of men found her the next day and took her back to civilisation. Broken bones and collapsed lung Juliane's story has parallels to that of Annette Herfkens, who, aged 31, spent eight days in the Vietnamese jungle by herself awaiting rescue. After Vietnam Airlines flight 474 dropped from the sky in 1992, killing the other 30 people on board, Annette was left with twelve broken bones, her jaw hanging off and a collapsed lung. How miracle Brit may face mental battle THOUGH lucky to be alive, Brit Vishwash Kumar Ramesh may struggle with the mental impact of yesterday's Air India crash for decades, Dr Marianne Trent, clinical psychologist, told The Sun. "Post trauma people often struggle to sleep, have intrusive thoughts and there will be triggers such as noises and smells of the fire, the smoke, booking future holidays," she said. "All those stories of the people he met along the way, or maybe those he didn't take the time to talk to, will be replaying in his mind. He will be second guessing everything he did." Dr Trent said he may even feel guilt that he walked away with minor injuries. She said: "He may just feel grateful to survive and have walked away but it's very strange that only one person survived. "We need to allow him to feel what he's feeling. Survivors of fatal car crashes who escaped with minor injuries might wish they'd broken a leg or had something physical to show for their life changing experience. "They might ask 'why don't I look different.. How can I look like the same person?' It's harder for people to empathise if you look the same way too." Dr Trent added that memories of his brother might be forever entwined with the horror of the crash. "His experience will be overlapped by grief and trauma. "Usually if you think of a brother there are thoughts about songs you might have heard growing up together, or things you did, nice memories. "But when someone dies the whole relationship changes and those thoughts can make you feel really awful and send you right down into the depths again. "The fact this is all being played out on an international stage will also be extremely hard for him and he will need a lot of psychological help to come to terms with what has happened." Her plane had crashed into a mountain ridge and she now lay surrounded by the ripped-apart fuselage, with a dead stranger across her. 'That's where you have fight or flight - I definitely chose flight,' she told the Guardian. 'I stayed in the moment. I trusted that they were going to find me. I didn't think, 'What if a tiger comes?' I thought, 'I'll deal with it when the tiger comes.' I didn't think, 'What if I die?' I thought, 'I will see about it when I die.'' Crawling along by her elbows, she managed to capture water with parts of the plane's insulation until a rescue party carried her down in a hammock. Self-harm pain In all these cases, only one passenger made it out alive. But when the plane's pilot is the sole person spared death, the feelings of survivor's guilt can be even worse. The bad voice says, 'No, stay here, have another shot of liquor' Jim Polehinke Jim Polehinke was co-pilot aboard Com Air flight 5191, which crashed seconds after takeoff from Lexington, Kentucky in 2006. 'I've cried harder than any man has ever cried, or any man should be able to cry,' he said. 'My wife was there to support me to where I could just put my head on her shoulder and cry. 'It's that constant struggle where my inner voice wants to keep going forward. "The good voice says, 'Yeah, come on, you have the inner strength to do that,' but the bad voice says, 'No, stay here, have another shot of liquor.'' Dr Trent also highlighted how harmful behaviours can become a crutch for people to deal with survivor's guilt. She said: "Sometimes people become a risk to themselves through non intentional self injury, drinking too much, not showing and looking after themselves, taking recreational drugs to cope.'
