A catastrophic Air India crash has claimed 244 lives in Ahmedabad. This marks the first deadly accident with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its 14-year history. Air India’s Flight AI171 crashed just five minutes after takeoff at 1:38 PM local time. The aircraft’s last signal came at a mere 625 feet altitude before it plunged into Meghani Nagar, a residential area. Witnesses spotted black smoke rising from the crash site. The aircraft carried 232 passengers and 12 crew members. The passenger list included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese citizens headed to London Gatwick. Weather conditions remained stable with six-kilometer visibility during the crash. The Dreamliner fleet’s safety record was spotless until now. These aircraft had completed nearly 5 million flights and logged more than 30 million flight hours before this devastating crash.
Air India flight crashes minutes after takeoff in Ahmedabad
Image Source: The Hindu
A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Air India flight AI171, crashed into a residential area after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Flight tracking data showed the aircraft reached only 625 feet before it started descending at 475 feet per minute.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar were at the controls when flight AI171 took off from runway 23 at 1:39 PM local time [1,4]. The aircraft (registration VT-ANB) had served Air India for more than 11 years since its delivery in January 2014.
The flight crew sent a “MAYDAY” distress call to Ahmedabad air traffic control right after takeoff. The aircraft vanished from radar screens and all communication stopped. The last signal from the aircraft appeared on Flightradar24 just seconds after it left the ground.
People watched in horror as the massive aircraft, loaded with fuel for its London trip, hit the Meghaninagar area near the airport. Several witnesses saw the aircraft flying dangerously low over homes with flames trailing behind it.
Black smoke rose from the crash site and could be seen kilometers away. The aircraft went down near a doctors’ hostel, causing panic among nearby residents.
The emergency response team acted quickly. Three National Disaster Response Force teams with 90 personnel rushed from Gandhinagar to help. Three more NDRF teams came from Vadodara to support the rescue operations.
Officials blocked all roads to the crash site. Seven fire engines fought the intense flames from the aircraft’s large fuel supply. Medical teams arrived to help any survivors.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport stopped all operations after the crash. Investigators began their detailed work to find out what caused this devastating accident.
Officials confirm 244 onboard as rescue teams respond
Image Source: The Indian Express
A tragic accident involving an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner occurred in Ahmedabad today. The aircraft had 242 people on board – 230 passengers and 12 crew members, including two pilots and ten cabin crew. The passengers came from different nationalities: 169 Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian national.
Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran released a heartfelt statement: “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today.” The airline’s main goal now is to support affected families and help emergency response teams.
Rescue operations are underway as emergency services rush survivors to nearby hospitals. The crash site in Meghani Nagar near the airport remains sealed off while emergency teams work at the scene. Fire services quickly deployed multiple tenders to curb the raging flames.
Air India’s response to this crisis has been swift. The airline now has a dedicated passenger hotline (1800 5691 444) for families to get information about their loved ones. They have also set up an emergency center with support teams to help affected families.
Gujarat’s Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel stepped in quickly. “I have also instructed to arrange a green corridor to take the injured passengers for treatment and to ensure all treatment arrangements in the hospital are given priority,” he said. He directed officials to launch immediate rescue and relief operations.
The DGCA sent an investigation team from Delhi to conduct a detailed ground investigation. On top of that, medical teams and rescue personnel from the Indian Armed Forces joined the ongoing operations.
The accident forced authorities to temporarily suspend all flights at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. They advised travelers with scheduled departures to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
Boeing 787 Dreamliner faces scrutiny after first fatal crash
Image Source: Aviation A2Z
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s perfect safety record ended with the Air India crash. This devastating milestone comes while Boeing faces intense scrutiny over its manufacturing practices and safety standards.
The Federal Aviation Administration had stepped up its oversight of the Dreamliner fleet before this incident. A LATAM Airlines plane’s sudden mid-air drop injured more than 50 passengers in August 2024. This led the FAA to order inspections of 158 U.S.-registered Dreamliners and 737 worldwide. Their directive tackled problems with captain and first officer seats that could cause “uncommanded horizontal movement” and lead to “rapid descent of the airplane”.
Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour had already sounded alarms about the 787’s structural integrity before this fatal crash. His whistleblower claims suggested that Boeing cut corners while joining fuselage sections, which could put the aircraft’s safety at risk. “I literally saw people jumping on the pieces of the airplane to get them to align,” Salehpour revealed in April 2024. Boeing strongly denied these allegations, calling them “inaccurate” and claimed they did not “represent the comprehensive work Boeing has done to ensure the quality and long-term safety of the aircraft”.
The Ahmedabad crash will without doubt spark deeper investigation into these concerns. The FAA had previously stopped Dreamliner deliveries for almost two years starting in 2021 because of manufacturing gap issues. The aircraft managed to keep its perfect safety record with no fatal crashes until this incident.
Air India’s fleet includes 27 Dreamliners, which joined their operations between 2012 and 2016. These planes are getting a complete cabin makeover as part of the airline’s modernization plans, set to finish by early 2027.
Investigators scrutinizing the wreckage will look for signs of manufacturing defects, maintenance issues, or other factors behind this unprecedented disaster. Their findings could reshape the future of more than 1,000 Dreamliners flying worldwide.
Aftermath and implications of Ahmedabad’s devastating crash
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet’s perfect safety record ended with this tragic disaster. These aircraft had flown almost 5 million times without losing a single life since they first took off 14 years ago. This crash now puts Boeing under intense scrutiny about their aircraft safety protocols, manufacturing standards, and quality control measures.
The tragedy has left families from four different nations in deep grief. Air India has set up emergency support centers and special hotlines to help people find information about their loved ones on flight AI171. Teams continue their rescue work at the Meghani Nagar crash site, but chances of finding survivors grow slimmer by the hour.
A challenging investigation lies ahead. The team needs to find out if manufacturing defects, maintenance problems, pilot error, or other factors caused this catastrophic failure. Their discoveries might lead to grounding similar planes worldwide, detailed inspections, or major changes in design.
The timing of this disaster makes it even more crucial. Boeing was already under heavy scrutiny after whistleblowers reported structural problems with the 787 Dreamliner. The FAA had also ordered recent inspections because of possible control issues, which shows there were already concerns about these planes.
This crash affects more than just the immediate loss of life. India’s fast-growing aviation sector now faces fresh safety concerns. People around the world will without doubt question Boeing aircraft’s safety, especially the Dreamliner fleet.
This heartbreaking event reminds us that even with better aviation technology, we can never let our guard down. The victims and their families deserve a complete investigation that leads to real improvements to stop such disasters from happening again.