Ahmedabad, June 12, 2025 — Just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Air India Flight AI‑171 was no longer climbing. It was falling.
Bound for London Gatwick, the Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner slammed into a residential student hostel in Meghaninagar, barely a kilometre from the runway. Of the 242 onboard, 241 died. On the ground, at least 28 others lost their lives, including Gujarat’s former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was visiting the hostel at the time.
But one man — 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, seated in 11A — survived. And his voice now carries the weight of hundreds who never got to tell their stories.
A Moment of Terror
“I heard a sound — sharp, mechanical — and then a jolt,” Vishwash recalled from his hospital bed in Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. “We hadn’t even climbed far. Then we dropped.”
Within 30 seconds of takeoff, passengers felt the aircraft descend violently. The Dreamliner never rose above 625 feet, according to preliminary radar data — far below cruising altitude. The final moments were a blur of screams, shaking, and steel. And then silence.
The Crash Site: A Scene of Unimaginable Loss
The aircraft struck the ground behind the student hostel with explosive force, tearing through trees, masonry, and parked vehicles. Emergency responders described a “wall of fire” erupting on impact.
Survivors on the ground say it felt like an earthquake. But the most heartbreaking part: only one person aboard the flight was found alive. That person, crawling out from the rear wreckage with broken ribs and smoke-filled lungs, was Vishwash.
How One Man Survived
Rescue workers discovered him 50 feet away from the rear fuselage, partially shielded by a steel bulkhead. Doctors say his seat placement near an emergency exit, along with pure chance, may have spared him.
“I remember seeing my brother Ajay two rows ahead. After the crash… he was gone,” Vishwash said softly. Ajay’s body was identified the next day through DNA confirmation. “I don’t know how I walked out. I just crawled and kept going.”
The Investigation Begins
Authorities from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), Boeing, and UK aviation regulators have begun analysing the aircraft’s black boxes, recovered from the charred remains.
The flight crew had radioed a Mayday shortly before impact, but exact causes remain under investigation. Experts are considering a range of possibilities: engine malfunction, system failure, or control loss. The aircraft was relatively new and last inspected weeks ago.
Boeing has issued a statement expressing sorrow and pledging full cooperation. Air India has grounded its Boeing 787‑8 fleet pending inspection.
Voices of Grief Across Two Continents
This tragedy has pierced hearts in both India and the UK. Families are flying into Ahmedabad to identify loved ones. Vigils are being held in London, Leicester, and Delhi.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer both issued statements of condolence. “This is a dark day,” said Modi. “The nation stands with the bereaved.”
Among the dead were students, business travellers, elderly parents returning home, and a newlywed couple flying for their honeymoon.
A Survivor’s Haunting Question
At the heart of this devastation lies one haunting question — a question Vishwash keeps repeating.
“Why am I the only one who lived?”
There is no answer yet. Only the wreckage, the grief, and the need to make sure it never happens again.