Ex-Qantas pilot's sole survivor theory after Air India tragedy
The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash may have lived thanks to a series of factors, according to a former Qantas pilot.
British citizen and father of one Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 42, miraculously walked away from the wreckage with minor injuries, making him the only survivor of Thursday's horrific crash.
The Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787, was carrying 242 passengers when it crashed and exploded into flames just seconds after taking off from an airport in India's western city of Ahmedabad bound for London Gatwick.
Dozens more were killed in the built-up crash site, with the death toll as of Sunday morning at 279.
Mr Ramesh sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet.
Ex-Qantas pilot David Oliver told Weekend Sunrise on Saturday that it was 'remarkable' that Mr Ramesh was able to walk away unscathed.
'How it was that he managed to get out and people around him were unable to only compounds the luck that he had to come away almost uninjured.'
It has been reported Ramesh was in row five, seat 11A, just behind business class and next to an emergency exit.
On Friday, Mr Ramesh told reporters he was able to push open the emergency exit door before the plane exploded.
'He was very, very lucky to be seated there,' Oliver said.
'He was lucky that he just had that fleeting seconds to escape the aircraft before it burst into that fireball.'
Mr Oliver also revealed the most important actions to ensure survival in the event of a crash.
'Listen to the safety instructions and always wear your seatbelt, comfortably but firmly tightened,' he said.
'You've got to wear sensible clothing, bare skin going down an escape slide will give you burns. So just be sensible about what you're wearing.
'No high-heeled shoes for the ladies. You don't want to puncture an escape slide if you're going out.
'But the important thing, listen to the safety instructions and always wear your seatbelt,' he added.
On board flight AI171 were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian, according to the airline.
The aeroplane crashed soon after takeoff into a residential neighbourhood, hitting a hostel for doctors.
Authorities have said at least 50 medical students who were in the building are being treated in hospital.
On Friday, India's aviation authorities recovered one of the two black boxes from the 787-8 Dreamliner, a day after it crashed.
The 'Directorate General of Civil Aviation team have recovered one black box from the crash site', senior state police said, with India's Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu saying it would 'significantly aid' investigations.
A black-box recorder captures flight data and cockpit audio and is critical in helping investigators determine the cause of an aircraft accident.
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The Advertiser
44 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Air India crash victims identified, US experts on site
US transport officials have surveyed the site of the Air India plane crash that killed at least 271 people as families wait for DNA profiling results to identify charred bodies. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials joined US Federal Aviation Administration officials in Ahmedabad, in western India's Gujarat state, to survey the crash site, a source with direct knowledge said. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, bound for Gatwick Airport south of London, began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. About 30 people died on the ground. Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down. US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday he was in the process of deploying a team from the aviation administration and the safety board to India. Boeing and GE, whose engines were used in the plane, were also sending teams. "We'll take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB's investigation," Duffy said. The aviation administration and the safety board did not immediately respond to Reuters' queries outside regular business hours. The aviation administration has said India will lead the investigation, but the safety board is the official US representative for assisting, while the administration provides technical support. Boeing officials will also look at various parameters, including the angle of landing. About 10 officials were present at the site on Sunday, including those from the safety board, the source said. India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected. The crash brings a fresh challenge for both Air India, which has for years been trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. In Ahmedabad, doctors were struggling to identify bodies that were charred in the incident, resorting to dental samples and DNA profiling. DNA samples of 32 victims from the crash have been successfully matched, Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the city's main hospital, said on Sunday. "The bodies for which DNA samples have been matched are being handed over to the families with due respect," he said. US transport officials have surveyed the site of the Air India plane crash that killed at least 271 people as families wait for DNA profiling results to identify charred bodies. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials joined US Federal Aviation Administration officials in Ahmedabad, in western India's Gujarat state, to survey the crash site, a source with direct knowledge said. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, bound for Gatwick Airport south of London, began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. About 30 people died on the ground. Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down. US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday he was in the process of deploying a team from the aviation administration and the safety board to India. Boeing and GE, whose engines were used in the plane, were also sending teams. "We'll take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB's investigation," Duffy said. The aviation administration and the safety board did not immediately respond to Reuters' queries outside regular business hours. The aviation administration has said India will lead the investigation, but the safety board is the official US representative for assisting, while the administration provides technical support. Boeing officials will also look at various parameters, including the angle of landing. About 10 officials were present at the site on Sunday, including those from the safety board, the source said. India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected. The crash brings a fresh challenge for both Air India, which has for years been trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. In Ahmedabad, doctors were struggling to identify bodies that were charred in the incident, resorting to dental samples and DNA profiling. DNA samples of 32 victims from the crash have been successfully matched, Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the city's main hospital, said on Sunday. "The bodies for which DNA samples have been matched are being handed over to the families with due respect," he said. US transport officials have surveyed the site of the Air India plane crash that killed at least 271 people as families wait for DNA profiling results to identify charred bodies. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials joined US Federal Aviation Administration officials in Ahmedabad, in western India's Gujarat state, to survey the crash site, a source with direct knowledge said. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, bound for Gatwick Airport south of London, began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. About 30 people died on the ground. Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down. US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday he was in the process of deploying a team from the aviation administration and the safety board to India. Boeing and GE, whose engines were used in the plane, were also sending teams. "We'll take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB's investigation," Duffy said. The aviation administration and the safety board did not immediately respond to Reuters' queries outside regular business hours. The aviation administration has said India will lead the investigation, but the safety board is the official US representative for assisting, while the administration provides technical support. Boeing officials will also look at various parameters, including the angle of landing. About 10 officials were present at the site on Sunday, including those from the safety board, the source said. India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected. The crash brings a fresh challenge for both Air India, which has for years been trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. In Ahmedabad, doctors were struggling to identify bodies that were charred in the incident, resorting to dental samples and DNA profiling. DNA samples of 32 victims from the crash have been successfully matched, Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the city's main hospital, said on Sunday. "The bodies for which DNA samples have been matched are being handed over to the families with due respect," he said. US transport officials have surveyed the site of the Air India plane crash that killed at least 271 people as families wait for DNA profiling results to identify charred bodies. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials joined US Federal Aviation Administration officials in Ahmedabad, in western India's Gujarat state, to survey the crash site, a source with direct knowledge said. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board, bound for Gatwick Airport south of London, began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, and erupted in a huge fireball as it hit buildings below. All but one on board were declared dead in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. About 30 people died on the ground. Air India and the Indian government were looking at several aspects of the crash, including issues linked to its engine thrust, flaps, and why the landing gear remained open as the plane took off and then came down. US Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Friday he was in the process of deploying a team from the aviation administration and the safety board to India. Boeing and GE, whose engines were used in the plane, were also sending teams. "We'll take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB's investigation," Duffy said. The aviation administration and the safety board did not immediately respond to Reuters' queries outside regular business hours. The aviation administration has said India will lead the investigation, but the safety board is the official US representative for assisting, while the administration provides technical support. Boeing officials will also look at various parameters, including the angle of landing. About 10 officials were present at the site on Sunday, including those from the safety board, the source said. India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected. The crash brings a fresh challenge for both Air India, which has for years been trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises. In Ahmedabad, doctors were struggling to identify bodies that were charred in the incident, resorting to dental samples and DNA profiling. DNA samples of 32 victims from the crash have been successfully matched, Rajnish Patel, additional superintendent at the city's main hospital, said on Sunday. "The bodies for which DNA samples have been matched are being handed over to the families with due respect," he said.
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
Official death toll in Indian plane crash climbs as search teams find more bodies
Search and recovery teams continued scouring the site of one of India's worst aviation disasters for a third day after the Air India flight fell from the sky and killed at least 270 people in Gujarat state, officials said Saturday. The London-bound Boeing 787 struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff Thursday, killing 241 people on board and at least 29 on the ground. One passenger survived. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Air India black box recovered after deadly crash. Recovery teams working until late Friday found at least 25 more bodies in the debris, officials said. Dr Dhaval Gameti at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad told The Associated Press the facility had received 270 bodies, adding that the lone surviving passenger was still under observation for some of his wounds. 'He is doing very well and will be ready to be discharged anytime soon,' Gameti said Saturday. Hundreds of relatives of the crash victims have provided DNA samples at the hospital. Most bodies were charred or mutilated, making them unrecognisable. Some relatives expressed frustration Saturday that the process was taking too long. Authorities say it normally takes up to 72 hours to complete DNA matching and they are expediting the process. 'Where are my children? Did you recover them?' asked Rafiq Abdullah, whose nephew, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren were on the flight. 'I will have to ask questions. Government is not answering these questions.' Another relative persistently asked hospital staff when his relative's body would be handed over to the family for last rites. 'Give us the body,' the relative insisted. Left: Air India plane crash wreckage in Ahmedabad. Right: Kalpesh Bhai, whose 14-year-old brother was killed in the disaster, wails outside the autopsy room of a hospital. Credit: Rafiq Maqbool / AP Alongside the formal investigation, the Indian government says it has formed a high-level, multi-disciplinary committee to examine the causes leading to the crash. The committee will focus on formulating procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future and 'will not be a substitute to other enquiries being conducted by relevant organisations,' the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement. Authorities have begun inspecting Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, Indian Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said Saturday in New Delhi at his first news briefing since Thursday's crash. Eight of the 34 Dreamliner aircraft in India have already undergone inspection, Kinjarapu said, adding that the remaining aircraft will be examined with 'immediate urgency'. The government is eagerly awaiting results of the crash investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and all necessary steps will be taken without hesitation, Kinjarapu said. Investigators on Friday recovered the plane's digital flight data recorder, or the black box, which was recovered from a rooftop near the crash site and likely will lead to clues about the cause of the accident. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said it had started working with 'full force' to extract the data. The device is expected to reveal information about the engine and control settings, while the voice recorder will provide cockpit conversations, said Paul Fromme, a mechanical engineer with the U.K.-based Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator for both the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, said investigators should be able to answer some important questions about what caused the crash as soon as next week as long as the flight data recorder is in good shape. Investigators likely are looking at whether wing flaps were set correctly, the engine lost power, alarms were going off inside the cockpit and if the plane's crew correctly logged information about the hot temperature outside and the weight of the fuel and passengers, Guzzetti said. Mistakes in the data could result in the wing flaps being set incorrectly, he said. Thursday's Air India crash involved a 12-year-old Boeing 787. Boeing planes have been plagued by safety issues on other types of aircraft. There are currently around 1,200 of the 787 Dreamliner aircraft worldwide and this was the first deadly crash in 16 years of operation, according to experts.
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- News.com.au
Ex-Qantas pilot's sole survivor theory after Air India tragedy
The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash may have lived thanks to a series of factors, according to a former Qantas pilot. British citizen and father of one Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 42, miraculously walked away from the wreckage with minor injuries, making him the only survivor of Thursday's horrific crash. The Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787, was carrying 242 passengers when it crashed and exploded into flames just seconds after taking off from an airport in India's western city of Ahmedabad bound for London Gatwick. Dozens more were killed in the built-up crash site, with the death toll as of Sunday morning at 279. Mr Ramesh sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet. Ex-Qantas pilot David Oliver told Weekend Sunrise on Saturday that it was 'remarkable' that Mr Ramesh was able to walk away unscathed. 'How it was that he managed to get out and people around him were unable to only compounds the luck that he had to come away almost uninjured.' It has been reported Ramesh was in row five, seat 11A, just behind business class and next to an emergency exit. On Friday, Mr Ramesh told reporters he was able to push open the emergency exit door before the plane exploded. 'He was very, very lucky to be seated there,' Oliver said. 'He was lucky that he just had that fleeting seconds to escape the aircraft before it burst into that fireball.' Mr Oliver also revealed the most important actions to ensure survival in the event of a crash. 'Listen to the safety instructions and always wear your seatbelt, comfortably but firmly tightened,' he said. 'You've got to wear sensible clothing, bare skin going down an escape slide will give you burns. So just be sensible about what you're wearing. 'No high-heeled shoes for the ladies. You don't want to puncture an escape slide if you're going out. 'But the important thing, listen to the safety instructions and always wear your seatbelt,' he added. On board flight AI171 were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian, according to the airline. The aeroplane crashed soon after takeoff into a residential neighbourhood, hitting a hostel for doctors. Authorities have said at least 50 medical students who were in the building are being treated in hospital. On Friday, India's aviation authorities recovered one of the two black boxes from the 787-8 Dreamliner, a day after it crashed. The 'Directorate General of Civil Aviation team have recovered one black box from the crash site', senior state police said, with India's Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu saying it would 'significantly aid' investigations. A black-box recorder captures flight data and cockpit audio and is critical in helping investigators determine the cause of an aircraft accident.
