An Air India flight bound for London crashed just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 of 242 people on board. The pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, sent a desperate mayday call: “Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.” The plane reached only 625 feet before plunging into a neighborhood in a fiery blast.
Among the dead were 169 Indians, 53 Brits, and other international passengers. Only Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old Brit, survived. From his hospital bed, he said, “Thirty seconds after takeoff there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed… I stood up and ran.”
Experts believe a cockpit mistake might explain the tragedy. Pilot YouTuber Captain Steve suggests the co-pilot may have mistakenly raised the flaps instead of the landing gear, causing the jet to lose lift instantly. Former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein agreed the flap setting looked wrong.
Prime Minister Modi called the crash a national heartbreak. Investigators are still working to confirm what exactly caused the deadly accident.
