Air India plane crash: 'This one felt different', coffin maker after order for 100 units
Representative image (Picture credit: AP)
AHMEDABAD: The morning sun had barely warmed the pavement outside Ahmedabad's civil hospital Friday when Nilesh Vaghela, 47, arrived with his truckload of 20 wooden coffins. Neatly arranged, polished to sombre perfection,& lined with care, the coffins bore no names yet, only the weight of untold stories.
For most, coffins are a symbol of finality. For Nilesh, they are acts of service. "People talk of borders and visas. But coffins don't ask for passports. They all look the same in death," he adds.
Nilesh has been in the trade for 15 years. He works with one helper, making 7 coffins a day. But following the AI-171 crash, which killed 274 people, including 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese and 1 Canadian, he received an urgent request for 100 coffins. "I had over 50 ready in stock. I regularly help send the remains of the deceased abroad, to London, the US. But this felt different," he said.
Despite the demand, he refused to hike prices or take advance payments: "This is not the time for profit."
As he returns to his workshop to prepare more, Nilesh continues doing his bit.
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Seat 11A saves again: Thai singer finds chilling coincidence with survivor of Air India crash
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First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Did accidental flap retraction cause the Air India crash? An aviation expert's theory is going viral
Captain Steve, an aviation expert, suggests that a critical cockpit error may have triggered the tragic Air India crash, which killed 274 people. He believes that pilots may have accidentally retracted the flaps instead of the landing gear during the initial climb, a move he described as 'a tragic mistake'. However, this is speculation and an investigation into the tragedy has been launched read more Air India plane crash: According to Captain Steve, the pilots may have accidentally retracted the flaps instead of the landing gear during the initial climb, a move he described as 'a tragic mistake.' AFP Days after the devastating Air India crash in Ahmedabad — one of the deadliest aviation disasters in the country's history — a new theory is making waves online about what might have gone wrong. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operating as Flight AI-171, was en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick when it crashed into a residential hostel shortly after takeoff. The incident claimed the lives of at least 274 people, including passengers, crew, and people on the ground. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Now, a video by international aviation expert Captain Steve is going viral on X (formerly Twitter). In it, he offers a possible explanation for the tragedy, suggesting that a critical cockpit error may have triggered the crash. The aircraft was flown by two highly experienced pilots on board. The pilots were identified as Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had over 9,000 hours of flying experience. According to Captain Steve, the pilots may have accidentally retracted the flaps instead of the landing gear during the initial climb, a move he described as 'a tragic mistake.' But first, what are airplane flaps, and what do they do? Flaps are movable panels located along the trailing edge of an aircraft's wings. 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'If that happened — and this is a big if — this explains a lot about why this airplane stopped flying, why the lift over the wings died,' Steve said. At the low speeds of takeoff, retracting the flaps too soon would instantly reduce lift, he said. Combine that with the landing gear still extended, which increases drag, and you have a 'bad combination,' he explained. He breaks it down further: 'The flaps are retracting, all that extra lift you're producing in the wings goes away. You're already slow… and those great big landing gears are still down, creating drag. This is a bad combination.' What really happened to AI-171? Captain Steeve has now shared his theory on the Air India #PlaneCrash. — Mohit Chauhan (@mohitlaws) June 13, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the viral video, Captain Steve points out that the nose of the plane initially rises to about 2.5 degrees — but it doesn't go any higher. 'The gear never moves. The wings barely flex. That's a visual sign — very little lift is being generated,' he noted. Seconds later, the nose begins to drop. 'That's the airplane trying to create more airflow over the wings to compensate. But it's too slow, too heavy. The lift is gone.' In Steve's words, the pilot may have tried one final manoeuvre to save the flight — pulling the nose up even more. 'The airplane begins to kind of wallow… the pilot pulls back even more on the nose. That aggravates the whole thing." 'They might've had a chance at 1,500 feet, maybe even 1,000, to recover,' he said. 'But they never got there.' Ruling out engine loss, the bird strike theories Captain Steve also dismisses other common theories doing the rounds online, like dual engine failure or a bird strike. He also notes that both engines appear to be working normally in the available footage. 'No flames, no sparks. Nothing to suggest a power failure.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On the theory that birds could've hit the engines, Steve is doubtful. 'Could both engines have been taken out by a flock of birds? Possible — but we'd expect to see smoke, fire, or debris. There's none.' Members of the security forces work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, June 12, 2025. AP He also rules out fuel contamination. 'The engines showed no signs of sputtering on the roll. Everything up to rotation looked textbook.' For Captain Steve, the signs point not to mechanical failure, but to an aerodynamic one. A plane can still lose lift even with working engines, especially if the flaps are mistakenly retracted too early. 'It's heartbreaking,' he concludes. 'These pilots may have done everything they could. But in those few seconds, the margin for error was razor-thin. And one wrong move may have cost 241 lives.' 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NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
DNA Of 9 Plane Crash Victims Matched, 1st Body Handed Over To Family Members
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