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CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Air India plane crash investigation is underway. Here's what we know.
Everything we know about the deadly Air India plane crash Everything we know about the Air India plane crash Everything we know about the Air India plane crash Authorities continued to investigate Friday a day after a large passenger plane with 242 people on board crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, shortly after its departure for London Gatwick Airport. Officials say 241 of the passengers and crew on flight AI171 were confirmed dead, but one passenger survived. Casualties were also reported on the ground. The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, left Ahmedabad Airport at 1:38 p.m. local time. The plane went down minutes later in a residential area, hitting buildings, including the dining area of a medical college, officials said. Although law enforcement initially told reporters that no one on the plane survived, officials later confirmed that one man had survived and was being treated at a local hospital. Here's what we know so far. Air India plane crashes in Ahmedabad The director general of India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, told The Associated Press that flight AI171 crashed five minutes after its departure from Ahmedabad airport. The live tracking site Flight Radar reported receiving a final signal from the aircraft only seconds after it took off. Data collected by Flight Radar showed the jet briefly reaching a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet before beginning to descend at a vertical speed of about 475 feet per minute — a steep dive. Video shared online and verified by CBS News showed the jet low over buildings near the airport, descending toward the ground and disappearing from view. An enormous ball of fire and smoke erupted seconds later. Emergency workers at the scene of an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, 2024. The airport. This Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner went down shortly after takeoff with 242 people on board. Saurabh Sirohiya/NurPhoto via Getty Images What caused the Air India crash? The cause of Thursday's crash was not immediately clear. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading the investigation. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it will lead a U.S. team currently heading to India to assist the local authorities. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration officials also said they are deploying teams to India to assist in the investigation alongside the NTSB. "When an international incident occurs, that government leads the investigation," the FAA said in a statement. "In the event assistance is requested, the NTSB is the official U.S. representative and the FAA provides technical support. We stand ready to launch a team immediately in coordination with the NTSB." Air India and Boeing said they are prepared to cooperate and support the investigation. In videos of the crash, the plane appeared to have its landing gear down and flaps up at a time in the flight when those should have been reversed, said CBS News aviation safety analyst Robert Sumwalt, a former chairman of the NTSB. Aviation consultant John M. Cox told the AP the aircraft had its nose up and was not climbing, which investigators are expected to look at. "At this point, it's very, very, very early, we don't know a whole lot," he said. "But the 787 has very extensive flight data monitoring — the parameters on the flight data recorder are in the thousands — so once we get that recorder, they'll be able to know pretty quickly what happened." One of the so-called "black boxes" — the flight data and cockpit voice recorders — was recovered from the wreckage, an Indian aviation official said Friday. "I think these are going to unlock the mystery of this accident, so it's critical to get these black boxes and get them read out," Sumwalt said. This illustration shows the path of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport in western India on June 12, 2025. Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images India's civil aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said he was "shocked and devastated" by the crash. "We are on highest alert," Kinjarapu wrote in a social media post. "I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "the tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us" and called it "heartbreaking beyond words." Map shows where Air India plane crashed The Air India crash happened in the city of Ahmedabad, near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, where the plane had departed. Ahmedabad is located in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Map shows location of Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, on June 12, 2025. Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images The victims — and survivor — of the Air India crash Air India said in a statement that 241 people on the plane died in the crash. "The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital," the airline said. The passengers of the plane were identified as 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national, Air India said. The lone survivor was later identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, who had been listed as the passenger in seat 11A on the flight manifest shared by Indian authorities. "Everything happened in front of my eyes," Ramesh said in an interview with Indian media from his hospital bed. "I don't believe how I survived. For some time I thought I was also going to die. But when I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape." The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash, Vishawashkumar Ramesh, is interviewed from his hospital bed in Ahmedabad. Doordashan/Reuters Dr. Dhaval Gameti at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital told the AP that while Ramesh "was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body ... he seems to be out of danger." At least five medical students died when part of the plane hit the dining area of B.J. Medical College, Divyansh Singh, the vice president of the Federation of All India Medical Association told the AP. Singh said almost 50 people who were in the building are injured — some critically. "We are in close contact with our peers in the hospital who are on a lookout for more people feared buried in the debris," he said. The Indian Army was assisting civil authorities in combing through the debris and helping to treat the injured, the AP reported. London Gatwick Airport said it was working with Air India to establish hotlines for relatives of flight AI171's passengers. "London Gatwick is liaising closely with Air India and a reception centre for relatives of those on board is being set up where information and support will be provided," airport officials said in a statement. "British nationals who require consular assistance or have concerns about friends or family should call 020 7008 5000. Air India have set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information." Spotlight on Boeing The Air India crash appeared to be the first involving a Boeing Dreamliner, according to the company's statistical summary of commercial jet accidents between 1954 and 2024. The aircraft manufacturer has described this model as the aviation industry's "best-selling passenger widebody of all time." "We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected," a spokesperson for Boeing said in a statement to CBS News several hours after the incident. On Wall Street, shares of Boeing fell $15.34, or 7.2%, to $198.66 in pre-market trading.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet in Air India crash was subject of conspiracy theories about dead whistleblower — and battery problems
Thursday's Air India plane crash that killed more than 240 people has brought renewed scrutiny on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner aircraft — which was at the center of a conspiracy theory following a whistleblower's suicide last year. The disaster marks the first time a 787 Dreamliner — Boeing's newest plane model — has been involved in a catastrophic crash since its debut in 2011. It's also the latest disaster to hit the beleaguered American aerospace giant — which has been dogged by a door that blew off a 737 jet, a leaky spacecraft that stranded astronauts on the International Space Station for months, as well as politically damaging delays in outfitting the new Air Force One jets. The Dreamliner is Boeing's bestselling wide-body aircraft, and more than 1,200 have been delivered to airlines worldwide. Advertisement The deadly crash has left a stain on the jet's safety record heading into the Paris air show next week. Boeing's stock tanking by nearly 4.8% as CEO Kelly Ortberg scrambles to boost production of the Dreamliner. 6 A Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Air India crashed and exploded on Thursday morning, killing more than 240 people. Viral Press via Reuters Connect 6 First responders work at the site of the plane crash in Ahmedabad, India. Saurabh Sirohiya/NurPhoto/Shutterstock The Dreamliner was first introduced on Japan's All Nippon Airways in 2011 and there are more than 30 operated by Air India today, according to Cirium, an aviation data firm. Advertisement The Air India jet that crashed on Thursday was built in 2014 and had performed some 8,000 takeoffs and landings, according to the Wall Street Journal. Despite enjoying a 14-year safety streak, the troubled aerospace giant has seen its Dreamliner suffer from a series of production woes and attention from whistleblowers warning about the massive plane's assembly. The issues began in 2013, with Boeing's fleet of 787s grounded following a series of battery fires flagged by air safety inspectors. Advertisement Boeing was also forced to pause all 787 deliveries for nearly two years until the summer of 2022 over quality concern issues. 6 Debris of the doomed Air India plane hands over the destroyed ceiling of a local building. REUTERS 6 The tragedy is the biggest aircraft disaster in India in nearly three decades. Saurabh Sirohiya/NurPhoto/Shutterstock The pause ended when the Federal Aviation Administration approved Boeing's plan to make fixes that included filling paper-thin gaps around the plane and replacing parts that were not made with the approved titanium needed. Advertisement Things only got worse for Boeing last year when whistleblowers began coming out, accusing the company of taking shortcuts to fill the gap created by the 2020 pause, with the former employees and engineers warning that the practice could cause premature damage to the planes. Boeing has repeatedly disputed the claims made by the whistleblower, claiming an internal investigation recovered no evidence to support the whistleblowers' concerns over the South Carolina factory where the Dreamliners are made. 6 Mourners gather in Patna to pray for the victims of the plane crash, were only one passenger reportedly survived. AFP via Getty Images 6 Boeing has more than 1,000 787-9 Dreamliners in operation around the world. Getty Images Among the whistleblowers was John Barnett, 62, who was found dead just a day after sitting for a deposition with the company's lawyers in March 2024. His death was ruled a suicide. Barnett's death triggered countless conspiracy theories targeted against Boeing, despite investigators finding no evidence of foul play involved in the former employee's death. Thursday's crash also comes as Boeing is still reeling from the deadly accidents involving its 737 Max plane, which saw 346 people die in crashes in 2018 and 2019. Advertisement The company had reached a deal with the Department of Justice last month to avoid taking criminal responsibility for the crashes. 'Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad,' Ortberg said in a statement following Thursday's tragedy.
