AHMEDABAD, 12 JUN | An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft has reportedly crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad (AMD) with 242 passengers (including 2 pilots and 10 crew members) feared dead. The jet crashed into a residential area at 10.08am local time less than a minute after takeoff from Runway 23, blowing into flames which were intensified by the aircraft's heavy fuel load for the long-haul international flight.
Updates (12/6/25 @ 1315 UTC)
- 241 passengers have been confirmed dead by local authorities, together with 5 people on the ground. Only 1 passenger onboard has survived.
- The aircraft crashed into B.J. Medical College with around 50 medical students and staff hospitalised for their injuries
- Normal flight operations resumed at Ahmedabad (AMD) airport at around 11.45am UTC with a Star Air flight to Nanded
- The jet's Ram Air Turbine (RAT) was activated at the time of the crash, suggesting a loss of power/ dual engine failure upon takeoff (the chances of it happening is 1 in 1 billion)
- Air India confirms the nationalities of passengers onboard: 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals (of which 11 are children)
- Air India's CEO, Campbell Wilson, was onboard AI143 to Paris at the time of the incident, and ordered the diversion of the jet back to Delhi so that he could get off to handle the crash situation
- The crashed flight had a codeshare with Singapore Airlines under SQ4939, suggesting that a passenger onboard could have been connecting from a Singapore Airlines flight
The aircraft was bound for London-Gatwick (LGW), with flight number AI171. It had a registration VT-ANB and was 11.5 years old, delivered to the airline on 28 January 2014. This incident marks the very first hull loss of any Boeing 787 aircraft since its debut in 2011. The aircraft was under the command of Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of experience. The captain was supported by First Officer Clive Kundar, with 1,100 hours of flying experience.
The video below shows the aircraft descending rapidly down from 625 feet at a vertical speed of -475 feet per minute (according to FlightRadar24):
Despite no fatalities till now, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is notorious for its production issues. Early problems included battery overheating that led to fires, causing the entire fleet to be temporarily grounded in 2013. There were also concerns about its composite materials cracking and problems with its engines, which caused delays and increased maintenance costs. More recently, in March 2024, a LATAM Airlines 787 suddenly dived mid-flight, injuring over 50 passengers. Investigations found that a loose switch cover caused the captain's seat to move unexpectedly, disconnecting the autopilot. This prompted the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue an Airworthiness Directive (AD) on August 19, 2024, requiring airlines to inspect the captain's and first officer's seats on all 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10 models for missing or cracked rocker switch caps and nonfunctional switch cover assemblies within 30 days.
According to Times of India, rescue and relief operations are currently underway at the site of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. A green corridor to transport injured passengers for treatment and to hospitals is being established at the crash site.
No survivors have been reported so far. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those onboard.
This is a developing story, come back soon for more updates.
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Written by: Sohail Sawlani
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