'Exceptional Aviator': Air India Honours Capt Sumeet Sabharwal, Pilot Of Ill-Fated Flight AI-171
Last Updated:
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot of the ill-fated London-bound Flight AI-171 that crashed in Ahmedabad last week, was laid to rest outside his Mumbai residence today.
Air India paid a special tribute to Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot of the ill-fated London-bound Flight AI-171 that crashed in Ahmedabad last week, who was laid to rest outside his residence in Powai, Mumbai, on Tuesday.
The body of Sabharwal was brought to Mumbai by a flight this morning after his identity was confirmed through DNA testing. With tears in his eyes and folded hands, Captain Sabharwal's father paid a final tribute to his son, pilot of the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad.
Captain Sabharwal, 56, had 8,200 hours of flying experience and was set to retire and take care of his father full time. He was one of the co-pilots of the plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12, leaving all but one of the 242 passengers dead.
In a special message, Air India wrote, 'With profound grief and heavy hearts, we bid farewell to Captain Sabharwal – an exceptional aviator, a dedicated professional, and a beloved member of the Air India family."
'Captain Sabharwal's unwavering commitment to the skies and his quiet strength on the ground earned him deep respect across the aviation fraternity. At his funeral today, our COO, Tata Group's HR Head and Communications Head joined his family, friends, and colleagues to pay their respects, share in their pain and grief, and to offer moral support on behalf of the entire Air India and Tata Group family."
The airline extended solidarity with Sabharwal's loved ones at this time of immense loss. 'His memory will continue to inspire us, and his legacy will forever be etched in the heart of Air India. RIP Captain. You will be missed."
A heavy police presence was seen at Sabharwal's residence as several people came there to pay homage to the pilot. The mortal remains were kept at Sabharwal's home for an hour for people to pay tribute, and his last rites were held at Chakala electric cremation ground
Sabharwal's friends and colleagues from Air India carried his coffin from his home to Jal Vayu Mandir in the society on their shoulders and paid their last respects to their close friend. Three days before the fatal crash, the pilot had promised his father: 'I'm going to leave my job now and take care of you."
First Published:
June 17, 2025, 21:33 IST
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
8 minutes ago
- Time of India
Family, friends bid farewell to Captain Sabharwal
MUMBAI: Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's mortal remains arrived at his residence in Powai's Jal Vayu Vihar Tuesday morning. A hush fell over the housing complex, with AI crew, fellow aviators, and family and friends filing in quietly. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Residents of the locality gathered in clusters - some in grief, others in disbelief - outside the building where Captain Sabharwal (56) lived, the compound echoing with stories of the man they called "a thorough gentleman." From pilots who flew beside him to the crew that flew with him, neighbours who knew him simply as the kind man with a calm smile, all stood still in the moment. "I can't tell you what a thorough gentleman he was," said Usha Talawdekar, a resident of Powai Park. A retired AI cabin crew member who served 37 years in the skies, she paused to compose herself outside the gates of Jal Vayu Vihar. "I've flown with him. Every request he made came suffixed with, 'whenever you get the time'. No ego. Never demanded respect. We all just loved him. And he was an ace pilot." Her eyes welled up again. "Too early for him to go," she said, wiping her tears away. "Air India pilots are the best. They always know what they are doing." On June 12, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's final flight - AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London - crashed seconds into take-off. As the coffin was brought into his complex, his father Pushkaraj Sabharwal (92), a former DGCA official, stood silently, flanked by his daughter, her sons, and several pilots and cabin crew. Residents carried the coffin to the building's temple and offered their final prayers. Savitri Budhania, an elderly resident, said, "It was just Saturday," she said, pointing to the path where he last walked. "He took prasad from my hands right there." Her voice broke. "I told him, 'Your father is too old to be alone.' And he said, 'Just one or two more flights... then I'm going to just be with Papa.'" She added softly, "Who knew this was going to be it."
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Officials say Boeing debris likely to be moved to secure space for ‘reconstruction'; probe not hit by rain
As monsoon hit Gujarat, the wreckage at the site where the London Gatwick-bound AI 171 crashed on June 12 killing 241 of 242 onboard among several others in buildings and on the road, is likely to be placed in a 'secure space' either in the airport, or elsewhere, that will be allotted by the Gujarat government for 'reconstruction'. Sources familiar with the developments said that the air crash investigators will be seeking to requisition a hangar or other large space, where the debris will be transported and reconstruction will take place. Discussions for the same are currently underway. A senior official, who did not wish to be named, said, 'A secure hangar at the airport or another secure site in another location, will be given to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for the aircraft debris.' Parts of the plane, specifically the tail section, which had become embedded in the buildings of the Attulyam hostels of the B J Medical College, were removed, and on Tuesday, teams from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation broke down sections of the compound wall of the Atulyam hostels to enable easy access to the road. Further, the Cattle Nuisance Control Department (CNCD) of the AMC were directed to scour the entire area for stray animals who may try to pick at human remains if they were still undiscovered at the site. Naresh Rajput, the Head of CNCD at the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation told the Indian Express, 'The CNCD teams have been deployed at the crash site and they have picked up 6 stray dogs from the vicinity of the crash site. They have been placed in the kennel.' Top sources in the state government told The Indian Express that despite the battering rain since June 16, the crash investigation remains unimpeded. Senior police officials Tuesday said evidence collection and other investigations continued through the day with the support of local agencies. Senior city police officials, who were earlier deployed at the crash site, have now been returned to carry out the preparations for the Jagannath Rath Yatra scheduled from June 27. The yatra will be held about 11 km from the crash site. However, Traffic police personnel have been deployed to secure the zone, where the Indian AAIB – the lead agency, along with the National Transport Safety Bureau (NTSB) of the US, and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) of the British Department of Transport, are working. Boeing officials have also visited the site. Regarding fear that evidence might be damaged in the rain, a senior police officer said, 'All the important parts of the crash site and parts of the crashed plane have been covered to protect it from the rain.' The officer added: 'There is no waterlogging on the site and proper care has been taken to ensure the site is unaffected by such natural factors.' Gujarat government's Civil Aviation department is the nodal office liaising with investigators from the AAIB and has already provided an office space to the AAIB in the Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Ltd (GujSAIL) building, located on the airport premises. Dr Rajendra Kumar, Secretary, Civil Aviation, Gujarat, told The Indian Express, 'We are the nodal department to provide all logistical support to the AAIB, and the GujSAIL building is their camp office now. They are using our meeting room and we are providing all facilities and storage space.' Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation officials also told The Indian Express that 40 workers and 10 engineers have been deployed to the crash site on shifts, along with bulldozers and cranes, to assist the AAIB investigators. Two teams of the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) continue to be deployed at the site with power tools to cut and move larger pieces of debris for the investigators. With bodies of some of the crash victims still being recovered more than three days after the crash, especially from the plane's tail section and from the debris of the hostel building, paramedics and doctors continue to be deployed for identification and transport of remains, if any, from the site.
The Print
3 hours ago
- The Print
Considered quitting Air India job to look after father—family, friends remember Capt Sumeet Sabharwal
The casket carrying the remains of Sumeet Sabharwal, who was 55, was brought in from Ahmedabad to his apartment in Jal Vayu Vihar by his nephews earlier Tuesday morning. His 88-year-old father, Pushkaraj, leaning heavily on his walking stick, along with the rest of the captain's family—his sister, her husband, her two sons, and a daughter-in-law—paid their respects. Amid police security, friends and family members broke down into tears after seeing the remains of the captain, whose body was placed in the society's complex area before being taken for the final rites. Mumbai: Jal Vayu Vihar Sector 4, in Mumbai's Powai area, was sombre Tuesday as the society gathered to say their final goodbye to Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot of Air India-171 that crashed in Ahmedabad last week. Maal Singh, 68, a neighbour, said he was still in shock. 'We have known each other for a very long time. Mostly, we used to meet each other when Sumeet used to take his father out for walks in the society complex. He was a very polite and calm person. We are still in shock over what has happened.' He said Sumeet was a family man and used to take care of his ageing father. He had been extra attentive since Sumeet's mother passed away 2 years ago. Businessman Niranjan Hiranandani and local MLA Dilip Lande were among those who visited the Sabharwal residence to pay their respects. A guard, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint that people had started pouring in from 6 am onwards. 'The complex started filling in from 6 am onwards. Even media persons, huge police security, big officers from the police force were present. A lot of them from neighbouring societies also came.' At around 9:45 am, the body was taken for last rites, which were performed at an electric crematorium in suburban Chakala in the presence of family members. The family members left the crematorium around 11 am. Captain Sumeet was the pilot of flight AI-171 to London that crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad. 241 people aboard—229 passengers and 12 crew members—were killed, with only a sole person, a passenger, surviving. Investigations into the cause of the crash are still ongoing. Remembered as a polite & smiling man Sanjay Singh, his neighbour and friend, told ThePrint that earlier, Sumeet used to stay in Delhi, while his parents stayed in Mumbai. However, in 2022, when his mother passed away, Sumeet shifted base to Mumbai to take care of his father. 'He was a doting son. He cared about his family a lot. Whenever he was around, he would not miss a single session of taking his father down for a walk. We used to all meet and greet in society,' said Sanjay Singh. 'In fact, even the day before the accident, I met Sumeet in the complex. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts, and was just a regular and smiling fellow. His father, Pushkaraj, was the senior most in our society, and all of us used to take his blessings,' he added. His friends remember him as a caring and polite person. At one point, Sumeet had even discussed quitting his Air India flying job to take up a regular job so he could take care of his father. 'He was a thorough gentleman and a dedicated person. I am just in tears even thinking about him. He used to live in the building next to mine. A soul departed too soon. When I heard about the news, I couldn't believe it,' said 68-year-old neighbour Ratan Lal Singh. His friends, whom ThePrint spoke to, recalled how the father went completely numb after hearing the news of the demise of his son. He is still in shock and is quiet, not in a condition to speak. 'What can he do? It is the biggest tragedy for any father. Normally, a son performs last rites for a father, but here, a father has to see his son depart before him,' said Sanjay Singh. (Edited by Sanya Mathur) Also Read: Former CM Vijay Rupani's body released to family, last rites to be held in Rajkot
