In addition to unveiling the final words of the Air India plane pilot, reports have released his photo and the heartfelt promise he made to his father a few days before the crash.
A routine departure turned catastrophic when Air India Flight 171 plummeted from the sky just moments after takeoff, resulting in a devastating crash in Ahmedabad. The aircraft had only been airborne for 11 seconds when it encountered a critical failure.
WATCH: Air India plane carrying 242 people crashes in Ahmedabad while taking off for flight to London pic.twitter.com/KyLVZaV6i7
— BNO News (@BNONews) June 12, 2025
What should have been a standard ascent quickly escalated into chaos as the situation, in the words of a news outlet’s report, “suddenly became an irrecoverable disaster.”
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, leading the flight, radioed a chilling emergency message to ground control — “Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift!” Over the following 19 seconds, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner began losing altitude, drifting to the ground before smashing into buildings.
Prayers and condolences to the devastated families of all on board Ai 171 that crashed after take off. This is the Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, whose last message was “Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift” – 32 seconds later the plans crashed. pic.twitter.com/syr34j0gq1
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) June 12, 2025
The crash claimed the lives of nearly everyone on board and inflicted casualties on the ground, as stunned air traffic controllers could do nothing but watch.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, though officials warn that answers may take months. Among the possible causes being considered are bird strikes and mechanical failure.
TERRIBLE NEWS💔
An Air India plane with 242 passengers onboard crashes in Ahmedabad during takeoff.#planecrash pic.twitter.com/5eWP95lN5t
— Mohit Chauhan (@mohitlaws) June 12, 2025
As investigations continue into the catastrophic crash, authorities have now released the names and photographs of several crew members involved in the disaster, including the flight’s pilots and cabin crew.
Accompanying Captain Sabharwal, a seasoned aviator who joined Air India in 1994, in the cockpit was First Officer Clive Kunder. Hailing from Mumbai, Kunder had logged 1,100 hours in the air and was a graduate of the Paris Air Flight School in Florida, according to local reports.
These are the first pictures and names of the pilots of the ill-fated Air India plane that crashed just moments after take-off.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of experience, was today named as the pilot of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
First Officer Clive Kunder,… pic.twitter.com/dCazebwD0F
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) June 12, 2025
Among the cabin crew confirmed to have been on board were Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam and Lamnunthem Singson.
Additional senior crew members have also been named, including Shradha Dhavan, Aparna Mahadik, and Saineeta Chakravarti, as well as Deepak Pathak, Maithili Patil, Irfan Shaikh, Roshni Songhare Rajendra, and Manisha Thapa.
STORY | Air India pilot gave Mayday call to Ahmedabad ATC before crash, says DGCA
READ: https://t.co/yyXvRRPGk3 pic.twitter.com/uSOdcOESit
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 12, 2025
As the airline community, families, and the broader public mourn the tragic loss of life and await the outcome of an extensive investigation into what led to the aircraft’s abrupt descent so soon after takeoff, a heartbreaking revelation has emerged about Captain Sabharwal.
Just days before the crash, the late pilot had made a tender promise to his 82-year-old father, a former Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official who lives in Powai, Mumbai.
According to local MLA Dilip Mama Lande, “A few days ago, he promised to take a break to spend time with his father.” Lande shared this after meeting with grieving family members.
Sadly, that heartfelt commitment was never fulfilled. Sabharwal perished in the crash minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport. The tragedy has hit Mumbai especially hard. Nine of the crew members on board the flight were also based out of the city.
Their families, expecting a call from London, instead received devastating news that their loved ones were gone far too soon.
As the heartbreaking story of Air India Flight 171 continues to unfold, media outlets across the globe — among them the BBC — have been publishing continuous updates, piecing together the lives affected by the tragedy and the legacy left behind by those onboard. Among the most poignant revelations shared is about Captain Sabharwal, who was on the verge of a well-earned retirement.
Caught On Cam: Passenger plane crashes near Ahmedabad Airport.#PlaneCrash #Gujarat #Ahmedabad #ViralVideo pic.twitter.com/EkitM2Eg9Y
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) June 12, 2025
According to The Indian Express newspaper, the 60-year-old pilot was just months away from stepping down after decades of service in the skies.
Captain Sabharwal held the prestigious role of Line Training Captain (LTC), a title reserved for the most accomplished pilots entrusted with guiding and evaluating younger crew members.
A neighbor in his Mumbai residence recalled him as a man of quiet discipline. “He was very reserved, disciplined. We used to see him come and go in uniform often, but he was a very reserved person,” they divulged.
In the wake of the tragedy, these updates from credible news outlets have underscored the depth of the loss felt across the aviation community and beyond.
Aside from the aforementioned details, reports have released videos and photos of the devastating aftermath following the plane’s crash into the residential hostel of B.J. Medical College and Hospital, where dozens of medical students were staying.
The aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport en route to London’s Gatwick Airport. The impact damaged a section of the building and triggered a nationwide emergency response.
#AirIndiaPlaneCrash | Visuals from the hostel and mess of BJ Medical College where the plane crashed.
Read LIVE updates: https://t.co/X1eTvFIa0D pic.twitter.com/bjNDevToHJ
— NDTV Profit (@NDTVProfitIndia) June 12, 2025
According to CNN, the Federation of All India Medical Association said that between 50 and 60 students were admitted to local hospitals. Additionally, two to three are in intensive care, and about four to five remain missing.
The federation also reported that three to four relatives of resident doctors are missing, and the wife of one resident has been confirmed dead. It has also issued a public appeal for urgent blood donations.
The full extent of the tragedy is still unfolding. A senior doctor at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital told CNN that at least 290 people have died, including passengers, some of them minors, local residents, and individuals inside the hostel at the time of the crash.
The aircraft was reportedly carrying Indian, British, Canadian, and Portuguese nationals. Authorities have warned that the death toll may continue to rise.
Wreckage from the plane littered the campus, where part of the aircraft tore into a hostel housing dozens of medical interns. One image shows a man alone in a dim corridor, carefully navigating a mound of debris.
Another angle from above shows crowds gathering on what remains of an upper floor. Rubble overflows from the broken walls as responders continue searching through the wreckage for signs of life.
Another frame captures the urgency of the rescue as dozens of responders and civilians climb over rubble and unstable surfaces to continue the search. Cracked walls and dangling debris underscore the dangerous conditions they faced.
Outside, part of the plane’s tail is seen lodged deep into the side of a campus building. Onlookers and officials gather below the jagged wreckage, which now looms over the street like a monument to the crash’s violence.
Inside the dining hall, tables remain upright, but thick layers of dust and debris cover abandoned trays and half-eaten meals — a haunting snapshot of how abruptly normal life was disrupted.
Another scene shows charred remains at the crash site’s entrance. Burnt-out vehicles, office furniture, and scorched walls are taped off as investigators and police examine the area.
In one ABC News segment, Retired Colonel Stephen Ganyard of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) discussed the crash alongside a view of the embedded aircraft tail. Only one survivor has been confirmed, magnifying the devastation at what was once a vibrant medical training hub.
Elsewhere, emergency teams in orange uniforms stand around a stretcher amid charred debris, their presence highlighting the urgency and scale of the recovery effort.
As the investigation continues, the crash has drawn focus to the aircraft model and technical details of the flight.
As previously reported, Flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was carrying 244 people — 232 passengers and 12 crew members, according to officials. Of the 232 passengers, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were British, while one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals were also among those traveling.
A further breakdown reveals that the passengers included 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants. The total number of fatalities has yet to be confirmed.
“Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025. At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest on http://airindia.com and on our X handle (https://x.com/airindia),” a spokesperson for Air India confirmed on X.
The aircraft had departed at 1:38 p.m. local time. It was scheduled to land at London’s Gatwick Airport at 6:25 p.m. According to data from Flight Radar, it lost signal just seconds after takeoff, having reached an altitude of 625 feet.
Before communication with the aircraft was severed, the plane issued a mayday alert to air traffic control. No further communication followed after the distress call.
The plane went down in a residential area called Meghani Nagar, crashing only five minutes into the flight. The densely populated neighborhood lies near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, a city with over 5 million residents.
Visuals aired on local news channels showed thick plumes of smoke rising from the crash site as emergency crews rushed to the scene.
Weather conditions were reported to be calm and clear at the time of the crash, according to flight safety expert Marco Chan. Aviation forecasts indicated light surface winds and visibility of around 6,000 meters (six kilometers), with no severe weather, storms, or wind shear present that could have impacted the flight.
The aircraft involved in the Air India #AI171 crash is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with registration number VT-ANB and serial number 36279.
First flight of the aircraft was on 2013-12-14 and it was delivered to Air India in January 2014. pic.twitter.com/gC1Mk5WoCa
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) June 12, 2025
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the DGCA, confirmed the location of the crash and the number of people on board.
India’s Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, shared that emergency response teams had been dispatched to the scene, with efforts underway to provide immediate medical assistance and necessary relief to those affected.
