Air India plane crash: Gut feeling, gridlock & a mom's plea; how fate stopped 7 from taking AI 171
A mother's voice breaking. A clogged road. A last-minute paperwork snag. A change of mind that defied reason.
For seven passengers booked on Air India Flight 171, these ordinary obstacles became extraordinary lifelines.
Each missed that Boeing Dreamliner's take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12 - each watched in disbelief as it vanished into flames.
Yaman Vyas, a warehouse worker with a United Kingdom work permit, had his return to London plotted down to the last detail. After two years abroad, he had flown home to Vadodara for a brief visit. Passport? Check. Bags? Packed. His final stop was to seek his parents' blessings.
But when he bent to touch his mother's feet, she broke down.
"Thhoda divas rokai jaa ne, beta," she pleaded - stay a few more days. Vyas didn't ask questions. He simply cancelled.
"Later that afternoon, when messages about the crash started flooding my mobile, I realised how my mother's instinct had saved my life," Vyas said.
Jaimin Patel, 29, and Priya Patel, 25, from Ahmedabad had landed at the airport that morning with wide smiles and tourist visas in hand. Their friend Rohit Yadav had invited them to London for a vacation, and they had everything booked.
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They reached the check-in counter full of excitement. But officials raised questions about their paperwork. "We pleaded, told them it was impossible to fix the problem at such short notice," Jaimin said. Denied boarding, they returned home - only to get a frantic call moments later. "Switch on the TV right now!" a friend said.
"I was shocked," Jaimin said. "I have never been so grateful to the almighty. I thank the Air India staff for putting their foot down."
Savji Timbadia, seat 1A. Ready to fly to visit his son. Bags packed. Then, hours before take-off, he called and said: "I told my son I did not feel like flying and would postpone until Monday." No explanation. Just a churn in the gut he couldn't shake.
Hours later, a friend urged him to watch the news. "I got the answer to what made me feel uneasy. Lord Swaminarayan saved my life."Bhoomi Chauhan, a Bharuch native, had completed her vacation and was headed back to London, to her husband.
Her son was staying behind with family. As she tried to get to the airport, Ahmedabad's traffic turned hostile. Diversions, jams, and missed turns. She arrived at the terminal - 10 minutes too late.
The gates had closed at 12.10pm. "I pleaded with the staff to let me board. They didn't budge," she said.
She turned back to Bharuch, furious. Then, the crash. Her phone buzzed with alerts. "I was leaving my son in India. This was nothing but Ganpati Bappa's miracle."
Jayesh Thakkar of Vadodara, a Garba organiser, had a business trip to London mapped out. He was scheduled to be on Flight 171. But work in Kolkata dragged on. "I was delayed and realised I wouldn't make it to Ahmedabad in time," he said. He changed his itinerary. Later, it became clear it was a life-saving delay.
Ravji Patel stayed back by choice. His son-in-law Arjun begged him to accompany him to London to meet his granddaughters, aged 8 and 4. Arjun had just finished performing last rites for his wife Bharti, who died of cancer in May. "I told him I had work to finish and promised to join later," Ravji said. He now mourns both Arjun and Bharti - lost within 20 days of each other.
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