In a horrific turn of events, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 passengers onboard crashed soon after takeoff near the Meghaninagar area in Gujarat's Ahmedabad airport on Thursday (June 12) afternoon. So far, over 100 people are feared to be dead until more information comes in.
The Air India flight AI-171 was heading to London's Gatwick from Ahmedabad, carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the plane. The incident took place around 1:39 PM IST, soon after the aircraft took off from the Ahmedabad airport runway 23.
Moments later, after the takeoff, the pilots issued a MAYDAY call immediately after the takeoff, but they failed to respond to further air traffic control communications, as per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). But who were the pilots under whom the aircraft was in command?
According to officials, the aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was one of Air India's most seasoned Boeing 787 commanders, with years of flying experience.
He had operated in countless international regions and was regarded as a calm, safety-first, and methodical pilot. So far, he had 8,200 hours of flight time that made him well-equipped to handle both his routine and high-pressure situations.
While Clive Kundar, the first officer assisting Captain Sabharwal, had logged 1,100 hours of flight experience, both pilots received emergency and long-haul international flight training.
According to Air India, out of the total number of passengers, 169 were Indian, 53 were British, 1 was Canadian, and 7 were Portuguese. Apart from them, there were ten cabin crew members and two pilots on board.
“Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off,” the airline wrote in a post on X.
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