Latest news with #OwenJackson
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
British father had been booked on doomed Air India plane but changed flights - and was due to fly in 11A ‘miracle seat'
A British father who was due to be on board a doomed Air India plane that crashed last week decided to change flights at the last minute, it emerged. Businessman Owen Jackson, 31, was placed in the same miracle Seat 11A as the sole survivor of the tragedy, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40. Mr Jackson had been on a work trip to India and was scheduled to jet back on Thursday. But his colleagues told him to take a Saturday flight as the job with call centre staff would take longer than planned. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off on Thursday in what is one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of the number of British nationals who died. Flight AI171 struck a medical college hostel in a residential part of Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. Mr Jackson, from Saffron Walden, Essex, told The Sun: 'It's a shock. You hear every now and then of planes going down, but when it's the aircraft you're getting on two days later, it makes you think.' Fellow Briton Mr Ramesh is still under observation in hospital for some of his injuries but will be ready to be discharged soon. His wife Phillipa, 30, a teacher, did not know he had changed plans and spent two hours unsure whether her husband had died. She said: 'I still feel affected by it now, to be honest with you, for days. I was just bursting into tears randomly. 'The way we felt is nothing compared to how the victims and their families are actually feeling, my heart really goes out to them, it's just awful.'
Telegraph
a day ago
- General
- Telegraph
‘I changed my Air India flight last minute. My wife thought I was on doomed plane'
A British father who was booked on the Air India plane that crashed has said he feels 'grateful' after he changed his flight at the last minute Owen Jackson, 31, was in India for work but had not told his wife, Phillipa, 30, that he was no longer flying home from Ahmedabad last Thursday. Phillipa feared she had been widowed when news broke of the plane crash, in which at least 270 people died. But Mr Jackson, from Saffron Walden, Essex, had fortuitously changed his booking to Saturday because he was tied up with work. 'It's a shock,' he told The Sun. 'I'm more grateful than anything else. It is such a weird coincidence. 'You hear it every now and again about planes going down, and you don't really think much of it, but when it's the actual aircraft you're potentially getting on two days later, it does make you think.' Mr Jackson was coincidentally booked onto seat 11A on his Saturday flight – the same number as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the disaster. 'I was just bursting into tears randomly' Mrs Jackson, a teacher, was unaware of her husband's fate for hours because he had not said that he had changed his flights, and he was also in meetings until two hours after the crash. 'I work with children, so I was kind of teaching at the time and just trying not to let them see or know what I was feeling,' she said. 'I still feel affected by it now, to be honest with you, for days. I was just bursting into tears randomly. 'The way we felt is nothing compared to how the victims and their families are actually feeling, my heart really goes out to them. It's just awful.' Mr Jackson added: 'I hadn't checked my phone two hours after it happened, after the news broke. 'I probably was one of the last people to find out about it, funnily enough, because I was in meetings exactly when the news was breaking.' All but one of the 242 passengers on board died in the crash, including 52 British nationals. Investigators are continuing to search the crash site in the Meghaninagar district, nearly a mile from the end of the runway at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner headed for London Gatwick crashed into a hostel, where medical students and their families were living, 30 seconds after take-off.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘I changed my Air India flight last minute. My wife thought I was on doomed plane'
A British father was booked on the Air India flight that crashed, before changing at the last minute Owen Jackson, 31, had not told his wife that he was no longer due to fly home from Ahmedabad on Thursday after visiting India for work. His wife Phillipa, 30, feared she had been widowed when news broke of the plane crash, in which at least 270 people died. But Mr Jackson, from Saffron Walden, Essex, had fortuitously changed his booking to Saturday because he was tied up with work. 'It's a shock,' he told The Sun. 'I'm more grateful than anything else. It is such a weird coincidence. 'You hear it every now and again about planes going down, and you don't really think much of it, but when it's the actual aircraft you're potentially getting on two days later, it does make you think.' Mr Jackson was coincidentally booked onto seat 11A on his Saturday flight – the same number as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of the disaster. Mrs Jackson, a teacher, was unaware of her husband's fate for hours because he had not said that he had changed his flights, and he was also in meetings until two hours after the crash. 'I work with children, so I was kind of teaching at the time and just trying to not let them see or know what I was feeling,' she said. 'I still feel affected by it now, to be honest with you, for days. I was just bursting into tears randomly. 'The way we felt is nothing compared to how the victims and their families are actually feeling, my heart really goes out to them. It's just awful.' Mr Jackson added: 'I hadn't checked my phone two hours after it happened, after the news broke. 'I probably was one of the last people to find out about it, funnily enough, because I was in meetings exactly when the news was breaking.' All but one of the 242 passengers on board died in the crash, including 52 British nationals. Investigators are continuing to search the crash site in the Meghaninagar district, nearly a mile from the end of the runway at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner headed for London Gatwick crashed into a hostel, where medical students and their families were living, 30 seconds after take-off. India has ordered urgent safety tests of Boeing 787s. The black box had been recovered and was being examined by investigators. The cause of the crash remains a mystery, with theories focusing on whether it was a catastrophic mechanical failure or pilot error. Captain Steve Scheibner, an aviation expert, later claimed the co-pilot of Air India may have made a fatal error that caused the crash. Ed Pierson, a former manager at Boeing, said it was 'possible' that safety concerns raised in 2019 could be linked to the crash. Other theories include the possibility of two bird strikes taking out both engines; however, this is thought unlikely. An anti-terrorism team is understood to be part of the official investigation, although this is thought to be routine. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Daily Record
a day ago
- General
- Daily Record
British dad booked on Air India plane crash survivor's seat 11A speaks out on tragedy
Owen Jackson was due to fly back on Thursday but his plans were changed. A dad who was due to travel back to the United Kingdom on the doomed Air India flight has told how a last minute change of plans saved his life. Owen Jackson changed his plans at the last minute, before the jet went down in a fireball crash which killed 241 of the 242 people on board the aircraft. The only survivor was Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was sitting in seat 11A. And when Owen was booked onto the Saturday flight to return home, he was given the same seat. He had been in India on a work trip and were deciding whether to fly back on Thursday or Saturday. In the end his colleagues said to take the Saturday flight. They delayed their return as the job would take a bit longer than originally planned. Thursday's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft had been bound for London's Gatwick Airport. It was carrying 242 passengers and crew members when it crashed minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Right before losing signal, the aircraft sent a "mayday" message to colleagues on the ground, alerting them to an emergency situation. The Dreamliner crashed directly into a dining room at B J Medical College, in a residential area of Ahmedabad, western India, while medical students were sitting down for their lunch. However, in a turn of events deemed miraculous by some, passenger Vishwash Kumar Ramesh managed to escape the horror ordeal, surviving with "impact injuries" on his chest, eyes and feet. The 31-year-old, from Saffron Walden in Essex, told The Sun: "It's a shock. I'm more grateful than anything else - it is such a weird coincidence. "You hear it every now and again about planes going down and you don't really think much of it, but when it's the actual aircraft you're potentially getting on two days later, it does make you think. "My main emotion on the whole thing is I'm quite grateful for the fact that I made that decision when I did.' When news first broke of the crash, Owen had not told his family back home which day he was due to fly back on. Wife Phillipa, 30, spent two hours unsure whether her husband had perished in the crash. Phillipa said: 'It was surreal. It was like being in a dream, but not actually just hoping to wake up, but pinching yourself over and over again and not waking up." Owen said: 'I hadn't checked my phone two hours after it happened, after the news broke. I probably was one of the last people to find out about it, funnily enough, because I was in meetings exactly when the news was breaking. Families who have lost loved ones in the Air India Flight 171 catastrophe will be offered £86,000, as pledged by Air India owners the Tata Group.
NDTV
2 days ago
- NDTV
UK Man Who Skipped Ill-Fated Air India Flight Talks About Seat 11A And "Weird Coincidence"
This is nothing short of a miracle. A man in the UK, who was meant to be onboard the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad, is alive today because his plan changed at the last moment. Owen Jackson, from Saffron Walden in Essex, is not just thanking his stars, he is "shocked" and "grateful" for the life-saving decision. The plane crashed into a college hostel seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, killing hundreds, including passengers, crew members and medical students in the hostel. Out of 242 on board the Air India flight, one passenger - Vishwas Kumar Ramesh - miraculously survived. He was sitting on seat number 11A. Speaking to UK-based The Sun, Jackson claimed he was also scheduled to board the same flight, but his plan changed due to unfinished work, forcing him to book Saturday tickets on what would have been the same aircraft if the accident hadn't taken place. In a "weird coincidence", he further claimed that the seat allotted to him for Saturday's flight was 11A - now being touted as the safest. "My main emotion on the whole thing is I'm quite grateful for the fact that I made that decision when I did," Jackson told The Sun. "It's a shock. I'm more grateful than anything else - it is such a weird coincidence," the 31-year-old further said, adding that his wife was not aware of his change of plans. This is 31 year old Owen Jackson from Saffron Walden. He'd been working in India and had been booked to come home on the Air India flight that crashed on Thursday. But work over ran so he changed his flight to Saturday & came home safely. In seat 11A. — Gyll King Post Skip Diplomacy (@GyllKing) June 16, 2025 His wife, Phillipa, was left worried after the news broke as she was not aware if Jackson had boarded the flight or not. Calling the tragedy "awful", she said, "The way we felt is nothing compared to how the victims and their families are actually feeling." How Vishwash Kumar Ramesh's life was saved When the plane crashed on Thursday, it broke apart with impact, causing a massive fire aided by highly inflammable jet fuel. The 40-year-old told the media that when he opened his eyes, everything was burning, but he managed to squeeze through the broken hatch. He sustained injuries and received treatment in the hospital. Some families of victims are still waiting to take possession of their loved ones' remains after DNA profiling and other identification of bodies.
