Air India flight with more than 240 aboard crashes at Ahmedabad

[mystery-ak]

 Air India flight with more than 240 aboard crashes at Ahmedabad
by Sarah Fortinsky - 06/12/25 7:51 AM ET

An Air India passenger flight with more than 240 people on board crashed Thursday shortly after taking off in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, according to the airline.

The flight, AI171, was headed for England’s London Gatwick Airport on a Boeing 787-7 aircraft.

Of the 242 passengers and crew members on board, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were British nationals, one was a Canadian national and seven were Portuguese nationals, according to Air India.

Local news outlets showed images of smoke surrounding the crash site, according to The Associated Press, which reported that it appeared to be in a populated area near the airport. Firefighters responded to the crash, dousing the plane and surrounding building with water.

Information was not immediately available on fatalities.

India’s health minister, Jagat Prakash Nadda, said “many people” had been killed, calling the news “extremely tragic.”

Air India said those injured were taken to the nearest hospitals.

“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on social platform X. ” In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also expressed his sympathies.

“The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating,” he wrote on X. “I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.”

more
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5346026-air-india-flight-crash-ahmedabad/

[Lando Lincoln]

https://rumble.com/embed/v6sh7mn/?pub=4

[Lando Lincoln]

Landing gear was still down.  Something was messed up.

[DCPatriot]

Landing gear was still down.  Something was messed up.

Have heard/read that the pilot immediately called in a "MAYDAY!" shortly after going airborne.

Have seen photos of the rear fuselage...intact, and wondered why they were so quick to declare "no survivors!"

FOXNEWS has been all over this event since early this morning.

[Lando Lincoln]

Where is the OMG reaction when it crashes?  Odd for sure.

[mystery-ak]

This photo shared on X by India's Central Industrial Security Force shows debris of a plane that crashed in the northwestern Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/busiredyash/status/1933098113138618611

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/nayika_nayika/status/1933150455896350819

[andy58-in-nh]

Landing gear was still down.  Something was messed up.

It also appears that the flaps were NOT down at takeoff. That alone would be enough to cause a crash.

[Smokin Joe]

https://twitter.com/busiredyash/status/1933098113138618611

What was the dark spot in the air (to the left of the plane) just before it hit?  Was that off the plane or just coincidental?

[Bigun]

It also appears that the flaps were NOT down at takeoff. That alone would be enough to cause a crash.

Yep! That is likely the culprit. As heavily laden as that plane was there is no way it flies at normal take off speed without flaps and I don't see them extended in the video.

[Smokin Joe]

Yep! That is likely the culprit.

Between no flaps and gear down, not enough air speed or lift and a stall...

Angle of attack appears to increase, too.

[Bigun]

Between no flaps and gear down, not enough air speed or lift and a stall...

Angle of attack appears to increase, too.

See my edited post above @Smokin Joe

[Lando Lincoln]

Air India crash: What may have gone wrong? A commercial pilot's first analysis

[Lando Lincoln]

No flaps, gear down.

[DefiantMassRINO]

As an ignoramus, if you were to watch the video without knowing what happens, you'd think the airplane was coming in for a landing.

[libertybele]

This photo shared on X by India's Central Industrial Security Force shows debris of a plane that crashed in the northwestern Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

OMG  How horrific!

[mystery-ak]

Miracle escape of 'seat 11A' as British SURVIVOR is seen WALKING AWAY from Air India crash jet on local TV, after police said they feared all 244 on board Gatwick-bound flight had died
By JAMES REYNOLDS and DAVID AVERRE

Published: 10:11 EDT, 12 June 2025 | Updated: 11:41 EDT, 12 June 2025

A British father miraculously walked away from the Air India plane disaster which claimed the lives of more than 240 people.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, spoke from the safety of a hospital bed hours after making an incredible escape from the doomed Gatwick-bound Flight 171 earlier today.

Astonishing footage showed the passenger with visible injuries hobbling away from the scene of the crash. He reportedly sustained injuries to his chest, eyes and feet.

Police found the passenger, who had been in seat 11A when the jet came down, in a residential area in Gujarat, and transferred him to a nearby hospital for treatment.

'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,' he told local media.

'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran.

'There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.'

Mr Ramesh, who lives in London with his wife and child, was travelling home from seeing family in India when the plane crashed, hitting buildings housing doctors in the city of Ahmedabad.

On the ground, police said they had found another survivor in the hospital struck by the plane.

Authorities had said earlier that they believed there were no survivors on the flight. The plane had been carrying 242 passengers, including 53 Britons.

Those on board also included 159 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese and a Canadian. Eleven of those on board were children, including two newborns.

Rescue teams supported by the military have recovered 204 bodies from the scene so far, with casualties from the plane and the area surrounding the crash.

Aviation experts say that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner may have suddenly lost power 'at the most critical phase of flight' after takeoff.







more
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14806301/miracle-escape-survivor-air-india-crash.html

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/MattWallace888/status/1933189747184148894

[DB]

It wasn't obvious that there was a mechanical failure from that video.

There was no smoke or other obvious disturbances coming from the engines.

It could have stalled with too steep of a nose up pitch.

Not enough lift can be caused by the plane being misconfigured for takeoff.

[MeganC]

It also appears that the flaps were NOT down at takeoff. That alone would be enough to cause a crash.

Agreed. Plus it looked overloaded.

[Bigun]

It wasn't obvious that there was a mechanical failure from that video.

There was no smoke or other obvious disturbances coming from the engines.

It could have stalled with too steep of a nose up pitch.

Not enough lift can be caused by the plane being misconfigured for takeoff.

I see no extended flaps anywhere.

[DefiantMassRINO]

Looks like there was a pull to the left.

You'd hope that many of the automated, computerized flight controls would prevent or warn of a misconfiguration for takeoff.

[DB]

I see no extended flaps anywhere.

Agreed.

[DB]

Looks like there was a pull to the left.

You'd hope that many of the automated, computerized flight controls would prevent or warn of a misconfiguration for takeoff.

Once it stalls, all control is lost.

[Smokin Joe]

Once it stalls, all control is lost.

The aircraft usually falls off to one side, too.

[Fishrrman]

Police found the passenger, who had been in seat 11A when the jet came down, in a residential area in Gujarat, and transferred him to a nearby hospital for treatment.
'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,' he told local media.
'When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran.
'There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.'

What can be said other than, "sometimes it's just your lucky day"...???

Re the video in reply 18 above:
Look at it at 0:09 seconds.
It's obscured behind a building, but something happens, both engines failing or losing thrust ...?

[Timber Rattler]

Shocking video reportedly shows power failures inside Air India plane hours before it crashed: ‘Nothing is working’

https://nypost.com/2025/06/12/world-news/shocking-video-reportedly-shows-power-failures-inside-air-india-plane-hours-before-it-crashed/

A passenger who reportedly flew on the doomed Air India jet just two hours before it crashed, killing more than 200 people, posted shocking video in which he says “nothing” was working in the cabin — including lights, air conditioning and the seat-back display screens.

The eerie footage was purportedly taken inside the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its second-to-last flight as it flew from Delhi to Ahmedabad, hours before it crashed shortly after takeoff en route to London’s Gatwick airport.

EXCERPT

Power failure?

[berdie]

The guy that lived is an example of...Not your time.

[Wingnut]

The guy that lived is an example of...Not your time.

Or he is waiting for his "Final Destination".

[Right_in_Virginia]

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1933180831507382297

[Lando Lincoln]

The guy that lived is an example of...Not your time.

Divinity

[mountaineer]

The guy that lived is an example of...Not your time.

I'm sure he can't help but wonder, "Why me?"

[mountaineer]

A commercial airline pilot, conservative and former political candidate from my state reacts via Facebook to comments made on CNBC by Biden's FAA administrator Billy Nolen:

Michael Folk

This guy, a supposed "aviation expert", when asked about the 787 crash based on the video, said it was too early to tell a cause, but then went on to say something to the effect, "typically the pilot flying says 'positive rate, flaps up' and the plane climbs out" he never corrected himself... but did later say the gear were still down. He's the former FAA administrator... our world is full of idiots in positions of influence and power...

(W)hen describing how a crew handles the aircraft during a takeoff, the standard phraseology is "positive rate, GEAR up"... 'positive rate' indicating the aircraft has a positive rate of climb and 'gear up' is asking the non-flying pilot to lift the gear using the gear handle... if the pilot would say "positive rate, flaps up" and the non-flying pilot actually put the flaps up and left the gear down, there would be deadly consequences at a slower airspeed right after takeoff...

[mystery-ak]

 Shocking video reportedly shows power failures inside Air India plane hours before it crashed: ‘Nothing is working’
By Anthony Blair   
Published June 12, 2025, 2:55 p.m. ET

A passenger who reportedly flew on the doomed Air India jet just two hours before it crashed, killing more than 200 people, posted shocking video in which he says “nothing” was working in the cabin — including lights, air conditioning and the seatback display screens.

The eerie footage was purportedly taken inside the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its second-to-last flight as it flew from Delhi to Ahmedabad, hours before it crashed shortly after takeoff en route to London’s Gatwick Airport.

https://twitter.com/ExxAlerts/status/1933313422034415982

https://nypost.com/2025/06/12/world-news/shocking-video-reportedly-shows-power-failures-inside-air-india-plane-hours-before-it-crashed/

[Smokin Joe]

I'm sure he can't help but wonder, "Why me?"

Hopefully, survivor guilt doesn't set in. That can be very rough.

[mystery-ak]

Revealed: Air India pilot's desperate mayday call seconds before devastating crash as experts raise fears wing flaps 'didn't look right' amid hunt for second black box

 By SAM GREENHILL and KATHERINE LAWTON

Published: 15:12 EDT, 12 June 2025 | Updated: 02:54 EDT, 13 June 2025

The pilot of the Air India crash frantically warned the plane was 'losing power' just moments before it crashed into a building, killing at least 260 people.

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plunged into the busy suburb just seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday morning, claiming the lives of all but one passenger.

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of flying experience, desperately cried 'Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift' before the aircraft went down and hit a residential property.

Air India later confirmed that 241 of the 242 people aboard flight AI171 died in the crash.

Miracle British survivor Viswashkumar Ramesh, who was flying alongside his brother, remembers 'a loud noise...then the plane crashed'.

The Boeing was not much more than 400ft above ground when the two experienced pilots onboard apparently lost power in both engines.

They then had 17 agonising seconds to wrestle with the controls before their state-of-the-art plane smashed into a medical college packed with doctors, sending a fireball soaring into the sky.

Distressing video footage shows the jet's fateful last moments as it rapidly lost altitude and speed, which would have filled the cockpit with a cacophony of terrifying alarms.

Captain Sabharwal and Clive Kundar, his co-pilot with 1,100 hours of experience, issued a desperate mayday call warning the plane was 'losing power'.

The footage appears to show them hopelessly trying to nudge up the nose of their sinking aircraft moments before the devastating impact.

more
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14807253/Air-India-pilots-desperate-mayday-call-seconds-devastating-crash-experts-raise-fears-wing-flaps-didnt-look-right-amid-hunt-second-black-box.html

[Smokin Joe]

Electrical power, or engines, or both?

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/LangmanVince/status/1933474901870203339

[mystery-ak]

https://twitter.com/Lordofbattles8/status/1933496786813088102

[Timber Rattler]

https://twitter.com/LangmanVince/status/1933474901870203339

I like Captain Steve.  He really knows what he's talking about and I follow him on Youtube.

[Timber Rattler]

Update from Captain Steeve...last ditch Ram Air Turbine (RAT) is seen and heard deployed in best video yet of the crash...looks like dual engine failure now.

In this update to our original video on Air India Flight 171, Captain Steeeve revisits his initial theory—and sets the record straight.

Previously, Steeeve leaned heavily into the possibility that the pilot may have accidentally retracted the flaps instead of the landing gear during the takeoff roll, resulting in a critical loss of lift. But new, higher-quality footage tells a different story.

In this video, we clearly see the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployed—something that only happens in the event of significant power loss. This changes everything. Steeeve breaks down what the RAT deployment means, walks through the new evidence frame by frame, and explores the very real possibility that this was a dual engine failure scenario.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XYO-mj1ugg

[Lando Lincoln]

Update from Captain Steeve...last ditch Ram Air Turbine (RAT) is seen and heard deployed in best video yet of the crash...looks like dual engine failure now.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XYO-mj1ugg

Thank you for posting this. CS is excellent.

@Timber Rattler

[DB]

The cause has been determined apparently.

The fuel switches to the engines were turned off by the cockpit 3 seconds into the flight.

It wasn't mechanical failure.

[DB]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx20p2x9093t

[Lando Lincoln]

The cause has been determined apparently.

The fuel switches to the engines were turned off by the cockpit 3 seconds into the flight.

It wasn't mechanical failure.

Quite incredible.

[Timber Rattler]

India's aviation minister has urged people not to jump to conclusions, as a US aviation watchdog says the investigation will "follow the facts".

Riggght...

And Captain Steeeve is stunned!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD64uYK926o

[MeganC]

The cause has been determined apparently.

The fuel switches to the engines were turned off by the cockpit 3 seconds into the flight.

It wasn't mechanical failure.

No fuel, no thrust, no lift, kaboom.

So which one of the flight crew was the Muslim?

[DB]

So in short, mass murder.

Allah Akbar?

[Fishrrman]

The critical fuel cutout switches:


However...
There's something else here that at least needs to be mentioned in passing.

Boeing had a service bulletin out on this particular plane (among others), pointing out a possible [design?] flaw in the fuel cutout switches, that might result in unintended movement. An inspection was recommended, possible fix as well.

BUT...
Air India DID NOT inspect the switches on this particular aircraft as recommended in the service bulletin.

This fellow gives a very good report, 16 min video (and mentions the service bulletin towards the end):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA_UZeHZwSw