Her husband insisted she meet him for his birthday: Family of Air India crash victim
Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India] June 13 (ANI): Among the 241 people who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash in Gujarat's Ahmedabad a day ago was Harpreet Kaur Hora, who was on her way to London to meet her husband for his birthday.
According to her relative, Rajeev Singh Hora, the family was filled with joy as Harpreet prepared for her trip to London.
'Before she was leaving for London, everyone sent congratulatory messages, and even spoke to her on the phone. After that, we learned directly from the news about what happened.' Rajeev told ANI.
Harpreet's husband had requested that she meet him in London for his birthday on June 16; therefore, she booked tickets for the fateful flight. The family is now waiting for the DNA test results to confirm her identity, with the last rites to be performed in Ahmedabad.
'Her husband insisted she meet him in London for his birthday on 16 June, as she planned to go to London on 19 June. So she booked the tickets for yesterday... Her father's DNA test was done yesterday. He will be called after 72 hours. The last rites will be performed in Ahmedabad. She got married in 2020.', Rajeev said.
Meanwhile, a father's hope for his daughter to succeed in life through education was crushed after the Ahmedabad plane crash, which killed her along with all others on board except one passenger in Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Payal Khatik was on her way to pursue an M.Tech course at a college in London.
Talking to ANI, a relative of Payal Khatik described how her father struggled to find the money for his daughter's education in London. The relative said that her family placed great hope in her future. 'Our relative Payal Khatik was in that flight. She was the daughter of our relative Suresh Khatik. We all went to see her off for her flight. When we learned about the plane crash, we travelled again to Ahmedabad,' the relative told ANI.
'Our DNA samples have been taken...The financial condition of the family is not good. Suresh Khatik supports his livelihood by pulling a loading rickshaw. Payal used to take care of the family by giving tuition to the students. ..They took loans from the community and other places to support her education in London,' he added.
Another victim, Sanket Goswami, who was also heading to London to pursue higher education, was onboard the AI-171 plane, which crashed soon after it took off from the Ahmedabad International Airport, into a medical college complex in Meghaninagar nearby.
The victim's family, residents of Mehsana, said Sanket was passionate and was travelling to London to pursue higher studies.'My nephew lost his only son, Sanket Goswami. He was going to London to study. He was an enthusiastic boy. he has a younger sister,' his relative said.
The AI-171 Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aeroplane bound for London's Gatwick had crashed shortly after it took off from the Ahmedabad International Airport on Thursday. The airlines said only one out of the 242 people on board the aircraft survived the crash.
The aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is a division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation tasked with probing aircraft accidents in India.
A formal investigation has been launched by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the deadly crash of Air India flight 171 that killed 241 people onboard, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed on Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a federal agency authorised by Congress to investigate civil aviation accidents in the United States (US), is gearing up to send a team of investigators to India to assist with probing the deadly Ahmedabad plane crash. (ANI)
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Every agency stepped in to support affected students: BJ Medical College dean Dr Minakshi Parekh
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Hindustan Times
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‘Bana liya content? Mil gye views?': Woman slammed for reel on ‘empty' Air India flight day after Ahmedabad crash
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News18
an hour ago
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Air India Plane Crash: Is It Fair To Blame The Pilots Already? Why Boeing Has Much To Answer To
Last Updated: Boeing's safety track record has already been under fire, especially after the 737 MAX tragedy that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019 Thirty seconds. That was all the time the ill-fated Air India flight 171 spent in the air before crashing outside the Ahmedabad airport last week. Eleven seconds into liftoff at 1.39 pm, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal sent out a chilling call to the ATC saying: 'Mayday, Mayday, no thrust, losing power, unable to lift, going down'. Nineteen seconds later, the plane had crashed after dropping from a height of 650 feet. It was a clear, hot afternoon with the skies above Ahmedabad shimmering under 40 degrees Celsius. Everything was routine, until it wasn't. Flight 171 became the centre of one of the worst aviation disasters in India. Let's try decoding the crash, but without any verdict on what may have caused it. For that, we must wait for a detailed air crash investigation. Investigators are facing a long road ahead in solving this big mystery. The truth will emerge sooner than later from the aircraft's black box. But there are four significant tell-tale signs from the video footage of the takeoff and crash. Number 1 and the most important – the landing gear was out during the entire 30 seconds that the flight was in the air. Usually, the landing gear is retracted by the pilots within a few seconds of liftoff. Number 2 – the jury is divided over whether the flaps were extended or retracted. During liftoff, the flaps are extended to aid in lift. But the aircraft's angle during takeoff, being in a nose-up position, and grainy footage makes it difficult to ascertain if the flaps were extended or retracted. Number 3 – the aircraft had nearly exhausted the 3.5-km runway before liftoff. Was it looking for more thrust? A dust cloud can also be seen in the footage right at takeoff. Number 4 – the pilot's 'Mayday' message indicates both engines had failed as he reported no thrust or power. So, what could have happened? Aviation experts have proposed many theories. The biggest among them is a possible double engine failure due to bird strikes. This is one of the rarest occurrences – last seen in the 2009 case of US Airways Flight 1549, which landed in New York's Hudson River soon after takeoff. A Dreamliner can fly on one engine. But both failing during takeoff is catastrophic. The dust cloud seen in the footage right at takeoff could be engine-related – possibly birds being ingested, some aviation experts pointed out. But there are no visible large bird flocks or smoke trails visible in video footage. Other experts said engine stalling due to electrical or software issues in the plane is unlikely, given how sophisticated the Dreamliner is with multiple backups too. There's also a theory around the aircraft's flaps and landing gear. Captain Steve has suggested that the flaps may have been retracted, reducing lift, while the landing gear remained deployed. He has speculated that the pilots may have pulled up the flaps instead of the landing gear by mistake. Some speculate that maybe only one engine failed but the pilots turned off the live engine by mistake. But these were experienced pilots with more than 9,000 hours of flying time between them. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was a veteran at flying the Dreamliner on long-haul flights. The landing gear and flaps switch in the cockpit is located far apart, other experts pointed out. Switching off a live engine is also something basic training modules alert against. The pilots committing such cardinal mistakes is unfathomable. There would be an alert in the cockpit if this had happened. Some experts said just the landing gear being down cannot make the plane crash. Also, it is easy and convenient to blame the pilot, isn't it? The temperature was within operating conditions for the flight. Fuel contamination is believed to be unlikely too, as per some experts. So, is it a problem with the aircraft itself? Does Boeing need to answer as well? To be sure, the probe will look into all possibilities, including a cockpit error. A big breakthrough is the recovery of the black box in a relatively intact condition. The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder will be analysed by the Indian investigating agency, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). It will take the help of Boeing and GE, manufacturer of the engines. A team from the US National Transportation Safety Board will help India in the probe. A team of Boeing officials from the US is going to arrive soon as well. All 33 of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliners, meanwhile, are undergoing safety checks, additional maintenance checks and pre-departure inspections. Now I come to another big question – is there a pattern with the 787? Yes, a Dreamliner 787 has never crashed in history since its commercial start in 2011. But there have been some signs of trouble. Earlier this year, an American Airlines 787 made four emergency landings in one month – some due to faulty wing flaps. The same flaps are now under alleged scrutiny in the AI 171 disaster. The American Airlines plane was initially forced to return to Amsterdam after a problem with its flaps was detected shortly after takeoff for Philadelphia on January 7. The aircraft dumped fuel over the North Sea before landing at Schiphol airport at a higher-than-normal speed, attributed to the flaps problem. Later, this American Airlines plane was forced to abort flights to Philadelphia from Dublin, Barcelona, and Zurich. Boeing's safety track record has already been under fire, especially after the 737 MAX tragedy that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019. The Ahmedabad crash on June 12 came six years after the loss of two smaller 737 Max planes, which claimed 346 lives and plunged Boeing into a near-existential crisis. And remember that after the first of these crashes, of Lion Air flight in Jakarta, Boeing had tried to put the blame on the pilots. The Max, Boeing's top seller, was grounded around the world for more than 18 months after investigators found that the crashes in 2018 and 2019 had been caused by software MCAS meant to improve the aircraft's handling. Instead, the system effectively wrestled control from the pilots, who were unaware of how it worked and how it might be overridden. The year 2025 has been deadly for aviation. Flight 171 was the second fatal commercial crash of 2025. Earlier on January 30, an American Airlines jet collided midair with a helicopter near Washington, killing all on board. Other incidents, like a Delta plane flipping on landing and another catching fire mid-air, have raised urgent questions about aviation safety in 2025. An extraordinary event in February saw a Delta Airlines plane flipped upside down after a heavy landing at Toronto airport, though all passengers and crew survived. In March, an American Airlines plane caught fire developing an engine fault and passengers were seen evacuating the plane onto the wing. The AI 171 crash, however, is the worst this year and arguably the worst ever in India. Investigators are now combing through wreckage, black box data, and cockpit recordings to uncover what exactly happened in those final seconds. For most on board, there was no hope. Out of 242 people on board, only one survived. Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old Londoner seated in 11A, was found alive in the wreckage. But more were killed on the ground as the plane crashed into residential quarters at the BJ Medical College. The toll could go well over 250. top videos View all Families demand answers. The aviation world demands accountability. The crash not only raises questions for Boeing, but also for global regulators, air traffic safety standards, and aircraft maintenance by airlines. We must make sure answers come before another disaster strikes. About the Author Aman Sharma Aman Sharma, Executive Editor - National Affairs at CNN-News18, and Bureau Chief at News18 in Delhi, has over two decades of experience in covering the wide spectrum of politics and the Prime Minister's More Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : Ahmedabad Plane Crash Air India boeing Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 16, 2025, 07:00 IST News india Air India Plane Crash: Is It Fair To Blame The Pilots Already? Why Boeing Has Much To Answer To
