Air India plane crash: Dream of auto driver's daughter to pursue MTech in London ends in tragedy
Days after the horrific Air India flight AI-717 crash, emotional stories of the passengers onboard are coming to the limelight. One such story is of young woman from Gujarat's Himatnagar – Payal Khatik.
Payal, daughter of a loading rickshaw boarded an aeroplane to travel out of the country for the first time on Thursday, reported NDTV. She was amongst the 230 passengers on the Air India Ahmedabad-Gatwick flight which crash after just taking off in Ahmedabad.
Payal was the first member of the family to board a flight and she was travelling to the United Kingdom, to pursue a Master's degree in engineering and technology.
At around 10 am, her family bid a fond adieu to their beloved daughter and went home. However, within hours she was on the list of 241 passengers and crew who lost their lives in the plane crash.
The Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed and inked its name in the worst aviation disaster in 15 years. It hit a medical college building in the city, killing 274 people in total.
Payal's death was confirmed by DNA analysis a day after the plane crash, and authorities are investigating why this happened.
Speaking to ANI, her father, Suresh Khatik said, 'After completing her college, she stayed with us... she wanted to study further in London. So we took out loans to support her education there...'
Suresh stated that he took loans hoping Payal's future job would help pay back and support the family. But now, they have no way to pay back the loans.
"She was the first member of our family to travel abroad... she was going to London. She completed her BTech from Udaipur and was going for MTech. But this tragic incident happened. Our family is deeply saddened..." her cousin, Bharat Chauhan, told another news agency IANS.
As per the details, Payel hailed from Rajasthan's Udaipur, who studied from Class I to Class X at the Adarsh School in Himatnagar. She completed her Class XI and XII from the Himat High School, added NDTV.
"She was educated. She has brothers and sisters... and her father is a driver. But the financial condition of her family was not good," Payal's family friend Sushila Pathak said, whose son she had been tutoring for the past six years.
Another relative said, "The financial condition of the family is not good. Payal used to take care of the family by giving tuition to the students..."
Earlier on Thursday afternoon, Air India flight AI717 – from Ahmedabad to London's Gatwick – crashed soon after the take off. There were 230 passengers and 10 crew members onboard. However, only one survived the crash.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, is carrying out the checks on the nation's 787s, Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in a press briefing on Saturday in New Delhi.
The minister added that the government had set up a special multi-department team to investigate all the non-technical aspects around the crash and has been given three months to report. India's accident investigation bureau is in charge of probing the technical aspects behind the plane crash.
To determine what caused the aircraft to fail in the deadliest aviation accident in more than a decade, the investigators have been surveying the wreckage of Air India flight AI171.
Investigative teams from the UK and US arrived Friday in Ahmedabad to assist with the crash probe.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
27 minutes ago
- News18
Crashed Air India Aircraft's Comprehensive Check Was Due In December 2025: Officials
Last Updated: The plane en route to London Gatwick Airport crashed into residential quarters of BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad. Over 265 people have lost their lives in the tragic incident. Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Air India's ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed minutes after take off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12 underwent comprehensive maintenance checks in June 2023 and was due for the next scheduled comprehensive checks in December this year, according to airline officials. The plane en route to London's Gatwick Airport crashed into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad. Over 265 people have lost their lives in the tragic incident. The aircraft VT-ANB underwent C checks or comprehensive checks in June 2023 and the next such scheduled checks were to happen in December this year, reported news agency PTI citing the airline officials. The C checks were done by AIESL (AI Engineering Services Ltd). Additionally, the right side engine of the aircraft was overhauled and installed in March 2025, while an inspection of the left side engine was done as per the engine manufacturer's protocol in April 2025, the officials said. The aircraft was powered by GEnx engines, manufactured by GE Aerospace. The officials also claimed that there were no issues with the engines or the aircraft. However, there was no official statement from Air India. After the incident, aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday ordered enhanced safety checks of Air India's Boeing 787-8/9 planes. The airline on Saturday said that the one-time safety checks of the aircraft are on track and the checks have been completed for nine planes. The airline has 26 legacy Boeing 787-8s and seven Boeing 787-9s in its fleet. On Friday, GE Aerospace said it supports the action being taken by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) 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," a GE Aerospace spokesperson had said in a statement. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the crash and a high-level multi-disciplinary committee has also been set up to examine the causes for the accident. (With inputs from PTI) First Published: June 15, 2025, 14:14 IST
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
30 minutes ago
- Business Standard
How passenger in seat 11A became only survivor of Air India plane crash
Viswash Kumar Ramesh was one of 242 people on the 787-8 Dreamliner that went down shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, India. Somehow, he walked away. Only the passenger in Seat 11A on Air India Flight 171 lived to tell the tale, a survival nothing short of a miracle. When the Air India plane with 242 people onboard crashed into a building moments after taking off from the international airport in Ahmedabad, it burst into flames. The impact, heat and smoke were so intense, officials said, that escape was impossible. Except for Viswash Kumar Ramesh, 38. Mr. Ramesh's story initially appeared too good to be true; the crash was so severe that the bodies of most victims were charred beyond recognition, officials said. But by late evening, Air India confirmed that there had been one survivor, who was getting treatment at the hospital. Amit Shah, India's home minister, said he had visited the survivor, and Indian media ran photos of Mr. Shah standing at Mr. Ramesh's bedside. 'I still can't believe how I got out alive,' Mr. Ramesh said on Friday in an interview from his hospital bed with India's state broadcaster, Doordarshan. 'I thought I was also about to die.' Mr. Ramesh, who was seated in an exit row, said the plane had felt 'stuck five or 10 seconds after takeoff,' and it seemed to be trying to accelerate when it crashed. The front of the plane, after hitting buildings, crashed into an open area, he said, while the tail was stuck in a building, which was later identified as the dining facility of a medical college. Mr. Ramesh said he unbuckled his seatbelt after the crash when he saw a chance for escape. He did not make clear whether he had to open the emergency exit he was sitting next to, or if the impact had caused it to open. 'When my door broke, I saw there was some space — that I could try to get out,' he said in the interview. 'The other side, people couldn't get out, as it was crushed against a wall.' Mr. Ramesh, who is a British citizen, was returning to England after vacationing in India along with his brother Ajay, their younger brother Nayan said. Ajay, who the passenger list showed was seated in 11J on the right side of the plane, did not survive. Shortly after the crash, Mr. Ramesh made a video call from near the wreckage to his family in Leicester to confirm he was safe, the younger brother said. There, the family home was a scene of both mourning for Ajay and stunned amazement that Viswash had somehow walked away.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
36 minutes ago
- Business Standard
DGCA curbs Char Dham chopper flights post-crash, steps up surveillance
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Sunday said it has already reduced the frequency of helicopter operations to Char Dham in Uttarakhand and is carrying out enhanced surveillance amid a spate of recent incidents during the pilgrimage season. The regulator's statement came after an Aryan Aviation Bell 407 helicopter crashed earlier in the day while flying from Kedarnath to Guptkashi. The helicopter went down near Gaurikund shortly after takeoff, killing five passengers, an infant, and the pilot. #WATCH | Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand: Today, a helicopter operating a flight on the sector Shri Kedarnath to Guptkashi was involved in an accident. A total of 07 people were on board this helicopter, who died on the spot. Rescue teams were immediately dispatched under the direction… — ANI (@ANI) June 15, 2025 Fifth accident in five weeks Sunday's crash marks the fifth helicopter-related incident in the Char Dham region in just over a month, raising urgent questions about operational discipline and safety compliance in difficult terrain. It also follows the tragic crash of an Air India Boeing 787 aircraft near Ahmedabad that killed over 265 people. 'As a precautionary measure, DGCA has already reduced frequency of helicopter operations to Char Dham, is carrying out the enhanced surveillance and reviewing the operation for any further action,' the regulator said in its statement. Recent incidents raise alarm On June 7, a private AW119 helicopter crash-landed shortly after takeoff from Sirsi. The pilot managed to land safely on a road near Badasu village, and there were no injuries. Earlier, on May 17, an Aiims-Rishikesh-operated heli-ambulance suffered tail damage during an attempted landing at Kedarnath. The pilot, doctor, and nurse onboard were unharmed despite the aircraft being damaged. On May 12, a helicopter's rotor blade struck a vehicle at the Badrinath helipad, sparking protests from local priests. No casualties were reported. The most serious of the earlier incidents occurred on May 8, when a helicopter en route to Gangotri crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi. Five pilgrims and the pilot were killed, while one person survived with critical injuries. Surveillance and operator suspensions In a separate statement issued on June 9, the DGCA said the spate of occurrences 'underscored the necessity for further strengthening the safety oversight' of Char Dham operations. It said investigations were underway into each incident to determine causes ranging from mechanical failures to weather conditions. 'DGCA has a zero-tolerance policy for safety violations,' the regulator reiterated in the June 9 communication. It added that 'special audits/enhanced surveillance' of operators had been ordered and that operations would be curtailed if needed. The DGCA is also monitoring live camera feeds from Kedarnath provided by the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). In early June, it suspended two helicopter operators for failing to comply with parking protocols. Another charter operator had been suspended in May for safety violations. OGE-only flights mandated All operators flying to Char Dham have now been instructed to operate only under out-of-ground-effect (OGE) conditions until further notice. Operating in OGE conditions means helicopters must fly and hover at altitudes where they do not benefit from the additional lift generated near the ground. This standard is crucial for safety in mountainous and high-altitude terrains like Char Dham.
