The AI-171 Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft, which was scheduled to fly to Gatwick, London, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad International Airport on Thursday. According to the airline, only one of the 242 passengers on board the plane survived. The plane was being flown by Captain Sumit Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of flying experience and was a line training captain. He was accompanied as co-pilot by First Officer Clive Kunder, who had 1,100 hours of flying experience.
Among the 241 people who lost their lives in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, there was also a young girl who was going to London to pursue higher education. Suresh Khatik, a family member of the victim, said that the family had taken a loan for her studies in London.
“After completing her college, she used to stay with us. Then she wanted to study in London. We took out loans to support her education there…My DNA sample has been taken,” Khatik told mediapersons. Another victim, Sanket Goswami, who was also heading to London to pursue higher education, was onboard the AI-171 plane, which crashed soon after it took off from the Ahmedabad International Airport, into a medical college complex in Meghaninagar nearby. The victim’s family, residents of Mehsana, said Sanket was passionate and was travelling to London to pursue higher studies. “My nephew lost his only son, Sanket Goswami. He was going to London to study. He was an enthusiastic boy. he has a younger sister,” his relative said.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which investigates plane accidents in India and functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has begun investigating the horrific accident. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Thursday confirmed that 241 people on board Air India Flight 171 were killed in the accident.
