Latest news with #aviationdisaster
SBS Australia
5 hours ago
- General
- SBS Australia
'I thought I was going to die': Air India crash survivor recounts escape as black box recovered
The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed more than 240 people says he hardly believed he was alive, as he recounted seeing others dying near him as he escaped out of a broken emergency exit. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who police said was in seat 11A near the emergency exit and managed to squeeze through the broken hatch, was filmed after Thursday's crash limping on the street in a blood-stained T-shirt with bruises on his face. That social media footage of Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, has been broadcast across India's news channels since the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner erupted in a ball of fire after it plummeted onto a medical college hostel moments after taking off from Ahmedabad. It was the worst aviation disaster in a decade and his escape is being hailed as the "miracle of seat 11A". "I don't believe how I survived. For some time I thought I was also going to die," the 40-year-old told Indian state broadcaster DD News from his hospital bed on Friday local time. "But when I opened my eyes, I realised I was alive and I tried to unbuckle myself from the seat and escape from where I could. It was in front of my eyes that the air hostess and others (died)." He was travelling with his brother Ajay, who had been seated in a different row, members of his family have said. "The side of the plane I was in landed on the ground, and I could see that there was space outside the aircraft, so when my door broke I tried to escape through it and I did," Ramesh said. "The opposite side of the aircraft was blocked by the building wall so nobody could have come out of there." Ramesh suffered burns and bruises and has been kept under observation, an official at the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad said. Police said some people at the hostel and others on the ground were also killed in the crash. Ramesh said the plane seemed to come to a standstill in midair for a few seconds shortly after take-off and the green and white cabin lights were turned on. He said he could feel the engine thrust increasing, but then the plane "crashed with speed into the hostel". Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in his home state of Gujarat to visit the crash site, met Ramesh in hospital on Friday. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said on Friday it has recovered the digital flight data recorder, or the black box, of an Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad from a rooftop near the crash site. It said the bureau has begun its work with "full force". The black box recovery marks an important step forward in the investigation, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in a social media post. Separately, the country's civil aviation regulator issued an order directing Air India to do additional maintenance and enhanced safety inspections of its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners equipped with General Electric's GEnx engines. The key inspections include fuel parameters, cabin air compressor, engine control system, hydraulic system and a review of take-off parameters, according to the order.
ABC News
10 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Air India plane crash leaves grieving families searching for answers
Inayat Saiyad sent his final message to the family WhatsApp group just after midday on Thursday. "Boarding will start in a little while" he wrote in Hindi. "Thanks to all the family for making this trip enjoyable." The 48-year-old software professional, his wife Nafisa, and their two children — 25-year-old Taskin and 22-year-old Vakee — were about to travel home to the United Kingdom after spending time with relatives in western India. Inayat also sent the group what would his family's final photo together: a selfie of the four of them with a friend, laughing and smiling at the airport. Minutes later, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that the Saiyads were boarding — Air India Flight 171 to London — lifted off from Ahmedabad airport, only to plummet into a residential building seconds later. The explosion that followed was so intense, it killed all but one person on board. The Saiyads' relatives found out about the crash from the news. "I tried calling, but [Inayat's] phone was switched off," Inayat's brother Varis Saiyad told the ABC from his home in Ahmedabad. At least 265 people were killed in the Ahmedabad plane crash, making it India's deadliest aviation disaster in decades. After seeing the news, Varis and his family went to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to try to search for the Saiyads. Their shock quickly turned to frustration and helplessness. "There was no system in place there … no-one there to give information to us," Varis said. "We waited from afternoon to 8pm … even now, we do not have any information about the bodies. Where are they?" The government has set up a special DNA collection unit at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to identify the dead, many of whom were burned beyond recognition or fragmented by the blast. Families have been told it could take up to 72 hours for results. Nitin Sangwan, a senior government officer coordinating the effort, said teams were doing their best under extraordinary pressure. "We are also very distressed," he told the ABC. "The government is making all the efforts: physically, emotionally — everything. "We pray to God that they recover well." Inayat, one of seven siblings, grew up in Ahmedabad and had migrated to the UK with Nafisa more than 20 years ago in search of opportunity. He remained close with his family in India, returning once or twice a year to reconnect with his roots and his loved ones. "My brother was a jolly person. He used to visit India for happy occasions and stay for one to two months," Varis said. That optimism defined the family's final days in India. "They celebrated [Islamic holiday] Bakrid with us, enjoyed time with my kids," said Inayat's sister-in-law, Saiyad Sumia Varis Husain, as she walked the ABC through the quiet, grief-filled family home. "We dropped them at the airport together. My sister-in-law [Nafisa] and my niece [Taskin] hugged me before leaving and asked me to take care of myself and family." Inayat had originally booked the family on a flight from Delhi. But just a day before departure, Air India cancelled it and offered a more convenient direct flight from Ahmedabad instead. "It would be better if they hadn't switched flights," Varis said quietly, wiping away tears. The crash, reportedly caused just moments after take-off, turned the Dreamliner into a fireball. The plane had only climbed to 625 feet when it veered off course and slammed into the hostel of BJ Medical College, where students were sitting down for lunch. The aircraft was carrying 125,000 litres of fuel, Home Minister Amit Shah said. The blast left buildings scorched, limbs unrecognisable and survival nearly impossible. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site on Friday and met with the sole survivor. Air accident investigators from the US and UK have arrived in India to support the probe, which India's civil aviation ministry says will be "fair and thorough". On Friday, investigators recovered key evidence from the site of India's worst plane crash in decades. A black box was found on the rooftop of the hostel the plane crashed into. It's now with forensic teams, who hope the device will help explain why the aircraft fell from the sky moments after take-off. The aviation watchdog has also ordered sweeping safety checks of Air India's Dreamliner fleet, covering everything from fuel systems to engine controls. Officials warned the death toll could rise as emergency teams combed through the wreckage. In addition to the flight passengers and crew, locals also died after the plane crashed into the residential area. In the Saiyad home in Ahmedabad, the grief lingers in every corner — empty rooms, fresh laundry, paintings by Taskin. "Inayat's mother is 85 years old, she is still in shock," Saiyad Sumia Varis Husain said. "She is not able to accept it. Just a day before they happily say goodbye to her, they took a selfie."
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Terrifying video reveals Boeing workers' fears over 'shoddy' 787 jets at plant where doomed Air India Dreamliner was built
A frightening video shows ten Boeing engineers admit they would not fly on the 787 Dreamliner jets they were building like the Air India plane that crashed Thursday. Workers at the South Carolina plant alleged the Dreamliners were being built by 'underskilled' and 'uncaring' factory workers who were in 'some cases on drugs'. One whistleblower claimed '90 percent' of the problems reported on the 787 plane were 'getting swept away' and 'hushed up'. The 2014 footage, which was first published by Al Jazeera last year, has resurfaced in wake of the tragic Air India plane crash that killed at least 265 people on Thursday. It was shot in the same plant where the ill-fated Air India plane was constructed. That Dreamliner flew for the first time in 2013 and left the plant in January 2014 bound for the Asian airline. The London -bound 787 Dreamliner began losing height moments after take-off and crashed in a fireball over a residential area in the Ahmedabad. Only one of the 242 people on board survived and as many as 24 people on the ground were also killed in what was the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. The plane that crashed on Thursday flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014 - the same year the secret factory video was recorded. It remains unclear what caused Thursday's tragedy, with mechanical failure or pilot error among the possible causes that investigators will now work to identify. An undercover employee approached 15 workers at random and asked one simple question: 'Would you fly on one of these planes?' A Boeing 787 Dreamliner began losing height moments after take-off and crashed in a fireball over a residential area in the Ahmedabad The plane that crashed on Thursday (pictured) flew for the first time in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014 - the same year the secret factory video was recorded Five employees said they would travel on the 787 Dreamliner, but most revealed they had little faith in the aircraft they were building. 'I wouldn't fly on one of these planes,' one worker said, the video revealed. 'Because I see the quality of the f***ing s*** going down around here.' But more concerning were the workers' allegations that their colleagues were looking for and doing drugs while on the clock. 'It's all coke and painkillers and, what's the other one?' a worker said. Another replied: 'You can get weed here. You can get some really good weed here. They don't drug test nobody. 'There's people that go out there on lunch and smoke one up.' Thursday's crash was the first involving a Dreamliner since the wide-body jet began flying commercially in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. But Boeing's safety and quality control has been under scrutiny for years after a series of incidents and crashes involving the company's other fleets. Boeing was deemed responsible for three high-profile accidents involving its 737 MAX narrow-body planes in recent years, including two fatal crashes. Just six days ago the plane maker reached a $1.1billion deal with the Justice Department to avoid prosecution over crashes involving a 737 Max plane that killed 346 people in Ethiopia and Indonesia in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Both disasters were later traced to faulty flight control systems, leading to the worldwide grounding of the 737 Max fleet for nearly two years. The 737 is a design dating back to the 1960s, with the Max crashes blamed on huge new engines bolted onto the middle-aged air frame design to boost the planes' range and capacity. Computer systems designed to counterbalance the Max's unwieldy proportions were initially too complicated to use and ultimately led to the Ethiopian and Indonesian crashes, investigators ruled. Boeing's reputation was further damaged in January 2024 when a door plug blew off another new 737 Max, shortly after the plane operated by Air Alaska took of from Portland Airport. No-one was injured or killed, but investigators say that if someone had been sitting in the empty seat next to the door plug and had their seatbelt off, tragedy may well have ensued. The incident led to the departure of then-CEO Dave Calhoun, as well as head of commercial planes and its board chair. The Air India plane that crashed in the city of Ahmedabad was more than a decade old. It first flew in late 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014. Since then, it accumulated more than 41,000 flight hours, including 420 hours during 58 flights in May and 165 hours during 21 flights in June, according to aviation data analytics firm Cirium and flight tracking website FlightRadar24. That length of service means the crash may not have been caused by a lapse in Boeing's standards. Poor maintenance performed by Air India mechanics, pilot error or even external factors like a bird strike may have been to blame. There is also a chance that the plane may have fallen victim to an act of foul play, with anti-terrorism investigators conducting a probe into the crash too. Indestructible 'black box' recorders have already been recovered from the wreckage and should provide data that enables investigators to determine the cause of the crash in the coming months. Before the crash, airline executives had voiced greater confidence in Boeing's rebound in deliveries and in Ortberg's leadership after years of reputational damage for the plane maker. The public has not yet caught on, however. Last month, the Axios Harris poll of 100 recognizable corporate brands by reputation put Boeing at 88th, same as in 2024. The wide-body 787 planes have had a strong safety record. They were grounded in 2013 due to battery issues, but no one was reported injured. Boeing shares were down 5 percent on Thursday after the Air India crash and shares of Spirit AeroSystems, a key supplier, and GE Aerospace, which makes engines for the jet, also fell about 2 percent each. Boeing's outstanding debt also sold off modestly after the crash. The investigation into the Air India plane crash is focusing on the engine, flaps and landing gear, a source told Reuters on Friday, as the aviation regulator ordered safety checks on the airline's entire Boeing-787 fleet. Air India and the Indian government are 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 within moments, the source said. The probe is also looking at whether Air India was at fault, including on maintenance issues, the insider added. A possible bird-hit is not among the key areas of focus, the source said, adding that teams of anti-terror experts were part of the investigation process. The government is considering whether it should ground the Boeing-787 fleet in the country during the probe, the source said. Air India has more than 30 Dreamliners that include the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 versions. A source in Air India told Reuters there had been no communication so far from the government on the possible grounding. Separately, India's aviation regulator ordered Air India to conduct additional maintenance actions on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GEnx engines, including 'one-time check' of the take-off parameters before the departure of every flight from midnight of June 15. The airline has also been instructed to introduce 'flight control inspection' - checks to ensure control systems are working properly - in transit inspection, and to conduct power assurance checks, meant to verify the engine's ability to produce the required power, within two weeks. The aviation ministry said that investigators and rescue workers had recovered the digital flight data recorder - one of the two black boxes on the plane - from the rooftop of the building on which the jet crashed. There was no information on the cockpit voice recorder, the other black box, which is also crucial to the crash probe. Earlier on Friday, rescue workers had finished combing the crash site and were searching for missing people and bodies in the buildings as well as for aircraft parts that could help explain why the plane crashed soon after taking off. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed by officials on the progress of rescue operations when he visited the crash site in his home state of Gujarat on Friday. Modi also met some of the injured being treated in hospital. 'The scene of devastation is saddening,' he said in a post on X.
Sky News
12 hours ago
- General
- Sky News
Air India plane crash: Families in Ahmedabad endure agonising wait for victims' bodies
Families just want the bodies of their loved ones. They have gathered in the scorching summer heat outside the morgue in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and crane their necks to get a glimpse of the next stretcher carrying a body bag to a waiting ambulance. The process for identifying bodies after the Air India plane crash is painstaking and some have been burnt beyond recognition. All but one of the 242 people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner died. 0:56 DNA samples are being matched with relatives, but patience is running thin. The wait for Lila Behan is agonising. She wails and cries, longing to see her grandson Akash one last time. She tells Sky News that he was outside when the aircraft crashed into their quarters. There was fire all around, her daughter-in-law Sita ran towards the flames and got severely burned. She's fighting for her life in the hospital's intensive care unit. "I can't even see my child's face now, they said he's so severely burnt. But I just want to see him for one last time," she says. Anand Thanki lost three members of his extended family, including an infant. All were British nationals from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. His sister-in-law Raxa had travelled to India with her daughter-in-law Yasha and infant grandson Rudra for a religious ceremony. Raxa lost her husband to cancer two months ago and this was a ritual she needed to perform. Anand tells Sky News: "It's a big loss, but what can we do? We can only blame our fate, it's probably written for us. "Worst was for my nephew who had dropped them at the airport, returned home and heard the news of the incident." India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the crash site and assessed the situation. He knows the city well, it's personal for him. He has been a legislator for over a decade and previously served as the chief minister of the state of Gujarat. At the crash site, he walked around debris and the block of flats which were in the flight path of the plane. The aircraft began losing altitude and within minutes of take-off, it plummeted to the ground, erupting in a fireball. At the hospital, Mr Modi met Vishwash Kumar Ramesh - the only person to escape the aircraft. He spoke of his miraculous escape. 0:58 The scale of the tragedy has been compounded by its location. The plane came down right in the heart of a built-up neighbourhood, with the front of the aircraft crashing into residential quarters for medical students. The wheels and tail of the plane are embedded in the top floor of one of the buildings, where many had gathered for lunch in a dining hall. Plates are still on tables - evidence that residents were eating when the aircraft tore through. There were at least 23 victims on the ground, including students, doctors and family members. Some are in a critical condition. 2:00 The cause of the crash remains unknown. Investigators will now begin the long and complex process of establishing what went wrong. But many families will grapple with the unimaginable loss after one of the worst disasters in India's aviation history.
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
The heartbreaking final selfie of British family moments before they boarded doomed Air India flight - as more tragic tales emerge of victims including London temple that's lost 20 members
A British family who lost their lives on the doomed India Air flight took a final selfie to send to waiting relatives moments before boarding. Sayedmiya Inayatali, 48, had been visiting his 90-year-old mother in India with his wife, Nafisabanu, 46, and their children, Waqueeali, 25, and Taskin, 22. Relative Shahid Vhora, 52, from Wembley, was set to pick them up from Gatwick Airport when he heard news of the crash, which is understood to have killed 241 of 242 passengers onboard flight AI171 on Thursday morning. 'I can't believe this has happened. I was preparing to pick them up,' the relative told Metro. 'They took a picture as they were about to board. They were so happy to be coming home. 'I had a text exchange with them about me picking them up at Gatwick, then nothing.' Mr Vhora added that the family worked very hard, with 22-year-old Taskin studying to be a doctor while her brother worked in IT. In what has been described as a miracle, sole survivor Viswashkumar Ramesh - seated in 11A - managed to flee the burning aircraft after it crashed, but his sibling sat on the other side of the aisle in seat 11J perished in the fireball explosion. Sayedmiya Inayatali, 48, had been visiting his 90-year-old mother in India with his wife, Nafisabanu, 46, and their children, Waqueeali, 25, and Taskin, 22 Members of the British Gujarati community gathered to pay their respects and grieve at the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, London, speaking about plane crash in India after 20 members of his community fell victim to the tragedy Today, it was tragically revealed 20 of the crash victims were connected to the same London temple. The north-west London community, which uses a temple in Harrow, has been left trying to come to terms with the horrific tragedy and the loss of so many people. Members of the British Gujarati community have gathered to mourn and pay their respects at the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre. Spiritual leader Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji told the Independent how the crash was a 'huge loss', adding that he personally knew 20 victims of the smash. Mr Guruji, who has lived in the UK since 1993, said: 'I have good communication with the people there, and I woke up to see so many calls. There were messages to say there has been a crash. 'The day before yesterday my priest who works here in the temple had flown from Gatwick to Ahmedabad on the same flight. He was on the same plane that crashed but travelling on the way out.' Mr Guruji also claimed one couple who died in the crash had already lost their only son in a previous aviation tragedy. He added that the unnamed couple had been returning from a religious ceremony in India when the plane went down and crashed into a residential building. Their son, a pilot, had lost his life in a crash in France a few years earlier, according to the spiritual leader. A video posted to social media appeared to show the plane descending in a controlled manner with a high nose angle and landing gear deployed Air India are looking at several aspects of the crash including issues with the jet's engine thrust, its flaps, and why its landing gear remained open, a source close to the investigation has said. The Government is looking at Air India's maintenance regime Firefighters work to put out a fire at the site where an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed in Ahmedabad Meanwhile, tributes have been paid to a former headmistress who also died when the plane went down yesterday morning. Panna Nagar was the headmistress of Northfleet Nursery School in Gravesend, Kent, for around 15 years. The school said in an emotional statement: 'Today, we gather in gratitude and admiration to celebrate a remarkable leader, mentor, and friend who gave over 15 wonderful years in championing early years in her position as headteacher of Northfleet Nursery School from 2005-2020. 'Ms Nagar sadly lost her life on the Air India flight AI171 returning from a trip to India.' Sole survivor Viswash, from Leicester, today described feeling like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was 'stuck in the air' and 'came to a standstill' rather than climbing after take off. Aviation experts have speculated that the flickering lights and other symptoms described by Viswash on board could be a sign of a power failure. Air India are looking at several aspects of the crash including issues with the jet's engine thrust, its flaps, and why its landing gear remained open, a source close to the investigation has said. The government is also looking at whether Air India was at fault, including over maintenance issues, the source said. The airline has been ordered by India's aviation regulator to do safety checks on its entire Boeing 787 fleet.
