Air India Flight 171 passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh 'jumped' from plane, police say, and walks away as only survivor of crash
The sole survivor passenger of Air India Flight 171 "jumped" from the plane, police say, as he recalled the terrifying seconds before the aircraft suddenly came down.
Footage emerged of British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, stumbling away from the fiery crash site after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner hit a hostel for doctors in a densely populated neighbourhood less than two kilometres from Ahmedabad airport.
Mr Ramesh was taken to hospital, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.
According to local police, he survived by jumping from the plane.
Speaking to local media from his bedside, the passenger said "it all happened so quickly" and that the plane was only about 30 seconds in the air before it crashed.
'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran," Mr Ramesh said to The Hindustan Times, which also shared a photo of him in hospital.
"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.'
He had been assigned to seat 11A, according to local officials and the boarding ticket, which is an exit row toward the front of the Boeing aircraft, behind business class.
It is not clear if Mr Ramesh managed to jump out before the plane made impact.
Speaking to Sky News UK, his family in Leicester said they had spoken to him and recalled that he had "no idea" how he exited the plane with only minor injuries.
"He video-called my dad as he crashed and said, 'Oh, the plane's crashed. I don't know where my brother is. I don't see any other passengers. I don't know how I'm alive, how I exited the plane'," his brother Nayan Kumar Ramesh said.
A doctor told CNN that Mr Ramesh is in "not very critical" condition and could be discharged from hospital in the next few days.
Social media footage aired on Indian news channels showed a man in a bloodstained white t-shirt and dark pants limping on a street and being helped by a medic.
The man had bruises on his face and a goatee beard, resembling photographs of Mr Ramesh in hospital after the crash that were published by local media.
Reuters could not immediately verify the video, in which people gathered around the man and asked him where the other passengers were, to which he replied "they're all inside".
One of Mr Ramesh's other brothers was also on board. He was killed.
Air India confirmed 241 of the 242 passengers and crew had died.
The 230 passengers and 12 crew on board included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese nationals on their way to London.
The death toll has reportedly climbed to at least 290 people dead.
At least 50 people on the ground including residents and those inside the BJ Medical College and Hospital are among those killed, according to local reports.
About 50 to 60 medical students inside at the time have been taken to hospital.
A senior police official said 269 bodies had arrived at the main hospital so far.
According to aviation tracker Flightradar24, Air India Flight 171 departed just after 1.30pm (local time) on Thursday and reached an altitude of 625 feet before it crashed.
CCTV footage showed the Dreamliner struggling to gain height just seconds after takeoff, before it slowly descended and slammed into a hostel for doctors.
The National Transport Safety Board said a team of US investigators will be flown over to India to support local authorities to find the exact cause of the incident.
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Sydney Morning Herald
31 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Flickering green and white': Inside the cabin seconds before the Air India crash
In his final message to air traffic controllers, the plane's pilot said the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 'no thrust', was 'losing power' and was 'unable to lift'. The Dreamliner is designed to be able to climb and fly safely in the event of having only one engine operational. Speculation has been rife over what may have caused the crash, including the possibility of pilot error, faulty flaps, electrical problems or engine failure. A bird strike is a prominent hypothesis, and could have caused a catastrophic engine failure leading to such a situation, but there has been no evidence of flocks in the area at the time of the crash. 'More than one thing went wrong here. The thing that might have started it, and I think probably did, was a loss of power,' Learmount said 'Whether it was loss of power on one engine or both engines is not clear. But the failure of a single engine should not cause a crew to lose control of a modern airliner, even in the critical early climb phase. Loading 'At the same time, simultaneous engine failures for unconnected reasons simply do not happen, based on the entire history of aviation. So if there was a failure of both, the question is what could have caused it.' The two engines on the plane are made by General Electric aviation and have a good safety history. On Friday, the Indian aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, issued a notice to Air India to conduct more inspections of all of its 787-8 and 787-9 fleet with GE engines. This includes an inspection of the fuel monitoring systems, a test of the electronic engine control, a check of the hydraulics and a review of take-off parameters. 'Power assurance checks' are also to be done on each plane within two weeks. Dr Akhil Bhardwaj, a senior lecturer in aviation safety at the University of Bath, said he believed the DGCA was acting with an 'understandable abundance of caution'. Last year, a United Airlines 787 jet, which has the same GEnx-1B engines as the doomed AI 171 flight, suffered an 'uncontained left engine failure shortly after take-off' while flying from Singapore to San Francisco last year, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report. The engine ceased working at cruise altitude and set alight, according to the report, with the pilots managing to circle back and land the plane in Singapore using just one engine. A GE Aerospace spokesman said: 'Safety is our top priority, and we support the action being taken by the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation for enhanced safety inspections of the Air India 787-8/9 fleet. 'We continue to work closely with the appropriate regulatory and investigative agencies, and we are committed to providing all technical support necessary to understand the cause of this accident.' Loading Experts have suggested that the Dreamliner, which until Thursday had an unblemished safety record, also deployed its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) during the ill-fated 60 seconds between take-off and the crash. The RAT is a propeller-like device that sits in the fuselage between the wings and is only deployed in the most dangerous situations, to provide emergency power to vital electrical systems. Sambulo Matema, a lecturer in aviation management at University College Birmingham, said: 'There is credence to this theory. In a complete power‑loss scenario, the aircraft transitions from engine‑supplied power to RAT power, and lighting anomalies can occur.' Loading 'This behaviour aligns with established emergency procedures and the expected performance of aircraft electrical systems under severe duress. 'After total power loss, the RAT deploys as a fallback power source. During this transition, green emergency lighting activates, and white lights may flash while onboard systems reboot and stabilise.' Learmount, who flew Hercules military transport planes around the Middle East during his RAF career, said the RAT would have sent power to the cockpit. The plane's batteries would also have supported vital systems. However, neither could have done anything to keep the plane aloft in the event of its turbines spooling down. Loading All this suggests the fault lay in the engines. However, what could have caused them to shut down remains unclear. One theory is contaminated fuel. In 2010, a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong almost ended in disaster when the pilot was unable to control engine thrust, leading it to land at twice the usual speed. It later emerged that fuel pumped into the plane had been contaminated with saltwater, damaging its engines over time. However, such problems are rare. Learmount said: 'If you go looking for a potential cause of multiple engine failure, fuel contamination could do it. But again, history is against that potential cause in observed reality.'
The Age
36 minutes ago
- The Age
‘Flickering green and white': Inside the cabin seconds before the Air India crash
In his final message to air traffic controllers, the plane's pilot said the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 'no thrust', was 'losing power' and was 'unable to lift'. The Dreamliner is designed to be able to climb and fly safely in the event of having only one engine operational. Speculation has been rife over what may have caused the crash, including the possibility of pilot error, faulty flaps, electrical problems or engine failure. A bird strike is a prominent hypothesis, and could have caused a catastrophic engine failure leading to such a situation, but there has been no evidence of flocks in the area at the time of the crash. 'More than one thing went wrong here. The thing that might have started it, and I think probably did, was a loss of power,' Learmount said 'Whether it was loss of power on one engine or both engines is not clear. But the failure of a single engine should not cause a crew to lose control of a modern airliner, even in the critical early climb phase. Loading 'At the same time, simultaneous engine failures for unconnected reasons simply do not happen, based on the entire history of aviation. So if there was a failure of both, the question is what could have caused it.' The two engines on the plane are made by General Electric aviation and have a good safety history. On Friday, the Indian aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, issued a notice to Air India to conduct more inspections of all of its 787-8 and 787-9 fleet with GE engines. This includes an inspection of the fuel monitoring systems, a test of the electronic engine control, a check of the hydraulics and a review of take-off parameters. 'Power assurance checks' are also to be done on each plane within two weeks. Dr Akhil Bhardwaj, a senior lecturer in aviation safety at the University of Bath, said he believed the DGCA was acting with an 'understandable abundance of caution'. Last year, a United Airlines 787 jet, which has the same GEnx-1B engines as the doomed AI 171 flight, suffered an 'uncontained left engine failure shortly after take-off' while flying from Singapore to San Francisco last year, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report. The engine ceased working at cruise altitude and set alight, according to the report, with the pilots managing to circle back and land the plane in Singapore using just one engine. A GE Aerospace spokesman said: 'Safety is our top priority, and we support the action being taken by the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation for enhanced safety inspections of the Air India 787-8/9 fleet. 'We continue to work closely with the appropriate regulatory and investigative agencies, and we are committed to providing all technical support necessary to understand the cause of this accident.' Loading Experts have suggested that the Dreamliner, which until Thursday had an unblemished safety record, also deployed its Ram Air Turbine (RAT) during the ill-fated 60 seconds between take-off and the crash. The RAT is a propeller-like device that sits in the fuselage between the wings and is only deployed in the most dangerous situations, to provide emergency power to vital electrical systems. Sambulo Matema, a lecturer in aviation management at University College Birmingham, said: 'There is credence to this theory. In a complete power‑loss scenario, the aircraft transitions from engine‑supplied power to RAT power, and lighting anomalies can occur.' Loading 'This behaviour aligns with established emergency procedures and the expected performance of aircraft electrical systems under severe duress. 'After total power loss, the RAT deploys as a fallback power source. During this transition, green emergency lighting activates, and white lights may flash while onboard systems reboot and stabilise.' Learmount, who flew Hercules military transport planes around the Middle East during his RAF career, said the RAT would have sent power to the cockpit. The plane's batteries would also have supported vital systems. However, neither could have done anything to keep the plane aloft in the event of its turbines spooling down. Loading All this suggests the fault lay in the engines. However, what could have caused them to shut down remains unclear. One theory is contaminated fuel. In 2010, a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong almost ended in disaster when the pilot was unable to control engine thrust, leading it to land at twice the usual speed. It later emerged that fuel pumped into the plane had been contaminated with saltwater, damaging its engines over time. However, such problems are rare. Learmount said: 'If you go looking for a potential cause of multiple engine failure, fuel contamination could do it. But again, history is against that potential cause in observed reality.'
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Only surviving Air India passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh says plane felt 'stuck' as he reveals how he escaped burning wreckage
The only survivor of the Air India crash has described how the plane felt "stuck" seconds after takeoff before it struck a medical college hostel and exploded in a fireball. Speaking from his hospital bed hours after one of worst aviation disasters claimed at least 290 lives, including his brother's, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh said they had been in the air for five to ten seconds when something did not feel right. "It felt like the plane was stuck. It felt like something had happened," he told local Indian media, adding a green and white light then turned on in the cabin. "The pilot was trying to give it a bit of a push it forward but it was struggling." Mr Ramesh's survival has been labelled a miracle. He was one of 242 passengers and crew who boarded the plane in Ahmedabad bound for London. But he would be the only one to climb out of the wreckage alive. "Everything happened in front of my eyes. I still can't believe myself how I came out alive. For a little while I thought I was going to die," the 40-year-old father said. "But when I opened my eyes I realised I was alive. So I tried to escape. I pulled out the belt from under my seat and tried to escape (but couldn't). Then I managed to do it. "I saw others and the air hostess in front of me who couldn't escape." Mr Ramesh was seated in 11A, according to his boarding ticket, an emergency exit row behind business class, which is towards the front of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. According to local police, he survived by jumping from the plane. It was not clear on Friday if Mr Ramesh managed to jump out before the plane made impact. But the British national elaborated further about his escape, saying his side of the plane had crash landed on the ground floor of the medical hostel. "I don't know about the other side but it was open on this side," Mr Ramesh recalled. "As soon as the door broke, I could see that it was open for me and I had a chance to get out. Then I managed to get out. But the opposite side (of the plane), the wall of the building would have blocked people and nobody would have been able to get out. "It was really only on my side where there was space to get out." Mr Ramesh suffered burns to his hands and bruising to other parts of his body. A local doctor said he is "out of danger". He could be discharged from hospital in coming days. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mr Ramesh at hospital where the pair discussed what had happened and the survivor's health. The leader was also taken to the crash site in the state of Gujarat to survey the damage. The plane's black box containing the flight data recorded has been recovered. But the other one, which records the cockpit conversations, has not been located. Both black boxes will be crucial for investigators to determine what happened. In the meantime, Air India has been ordered by the country's aviation regulator to carry out further "maintenance actions" across its fleet of Boeing 787-8/9s after the crash. The United States' National Transportation Safety Board has sent a team to help India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
