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An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 passengers crashed into the hostel of a medical college near an airport on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, a major city in western India, on Thursday afternoon.

Later that day, Air India confirmed that 241 of the 242 individuals on board had died in the crash. This tragedy adds to a growing list of serious and deadly incidents in the global civil aviation sector this year, including a midair collision in Washington in January involving a military helicopter and an aircraft. The London-bound Air India flight had just taken off when it crashed within seconds, making it the first-ever crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It also stands as the deadliest aviation disaster in recent years.

Where and when did the plane crash?

The Air India plane crashed in a densely populated residential area called Meghani Nagar, confirmed Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, in a statement to news agencies.

Ahmedabad, the city where the crash occurred, has a population of between 7 and 8 million and is located in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In response to the disaster, Prime Minister Modi has directed the Ministry of Civil Aviation to take “all possible action” to support rescue and relief efforts at the crash site.

Visited the crash site in Ahmedabad today. The scene of devastation is saddening. Met officials and teams working tirelessly in the aftermath. Our thoughts remain with those who lost their loved ones in this unimaginable tragedy. pic.twitter.com/R7PPGGo6Lj

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 13, 2025

 

What caused the Air India Plane to crash in just 30 seconds?

The exact reason why Air India Flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday afternoon will only be known after a full investigation. However, experts say the first few minutes after takeoff are often the most difficult part of any flight.

 

Indian officials will investigate the crash with help from experts from the US and UK. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner went down just 1.5 km (0.9 miles) from the runway at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

 

This is the first time a 787-8 Dreamliner has been involved in a fatal crash since the aircraft started flying commercially in 2011. The accident killed 241 people on board and some on the ground. The aviation experts and Indian pilots, including some who fly the same aircraft type, to understand what could have led to the crash in the middle of a busy part of Ahmedabad just moments after takeoff.

Struggled to gain altitude

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar were flying the plane. Both were very experienced, with a combined total of over 9,000 flying hours. Captain Sabharwal had worked as a commercial pilot for more than 22 years. The flight was carrying 242 people and took off at 1:39 pm local time (08:09 GMT), Air India confirmed.

India's Home Minister Amit Shah said the aircraft was carrying around 100 tonnes of fuel, which is almost a full load, as it began its climb. Just after takeoff, the cockpit sent out a mayday call, according to India’s aviation regulator. After that, no more communication came from the plane. It's still unclear why the pilots issued the mayday call, but the only surviving passenger told Indian media that he heard a loud bang and felt the plane was not climbing properly.

Footage verified showed the plane flying low over a residential area. The last data from the aircraft showed it reached an altitude of just 625 feet (190 metres). It then began to descend and disappeared behind trees and buildings, before a large explosion was seen in the distance. “If both engines failed, the pilot would have had almost no time to react,” one pilot said. CCTV footage reviewed showed the plane was in the air for only 30 seconds.

The crash happened in a crowded residential area, damaging several housing blocks. The area also included hospitals and government buildings.

 

Air India flight 171 crashes after takeoff from Ahmedabad

Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 people, crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. The aircraft, which was en route to London, went down in Meghani Nagar, a residential area near the airport, just minutes after departure.

The 11-year-old aircraft was bound for London Gatwick Airport, where it was scheduled to land at 6:25 pm local time (17:25 GMT). The route is heavily travelled due to the large Gujarati diaspora in the United Kingdom. According to flight tracking data from Flightradar24, the aircraft’s last signal was received just seconds after takeoff at 1:38 pm local time (08:08 GMT). At the time, the plane had reached an altitude of only 625 feet (190 metres) before it plummeted to the ground, crashing near densely inhabited residential blocks on the outskirts of the city.

#WATCH | Gujarat ATS recovered a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) from the debris of the Air India plane that crashed yesterday in Ahmedabad.

An ATS personnel says, "It's a DVR, which we have recovered from the debris. The FSL team will come here soon." pic.twitter.com/zZg9L4kptY

— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2025

Before the crash, the aircraft had issued a mayday alert to air traffic control. Shortly afterward, all communication from the plane ceased. As a result of the crash, Ahmedabad airport has been closed, and all flight operations have been suspended until further notice.

Also Read: London-bound Air India flight crashes after takeoff: What we know

What happened on this flight?

Preliminary data indicates that the signal from the aircraft was lost at 1:38 pm local time, less than a minute after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, according to flight-tracking service.

The plane had reached a maximum altitude of 625 feet, while the airport’s elevation is approximately 200 feet. The reason for the aircraft’s rapid loss of altitude before crashing into a fireball in a residential area remains unclear. Local media have also reported additional fatalities on the ground. Air crashes can result from a wide range of factors, including mechanical failures, wildlife interference, and human error, and often involve a combination of multiple issues.

 

What will investigators look at?

Rescue teams will search the wreckage for the "black boxes" — the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. These devices will help investigators understand what was happening during the flight.

Investigators will examine many things, including the airline’s maintenance records, how the pilots handled the aircraft, the position of the plane, and the settings of the wing slats and flaps. They will also check the pilots’ training, how much rest they had before the flight, and the weather conditions — it was nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the day of the crash.

#WATCH | Gujarat ATS recovered a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) from the debris of the Air India plane that crashed yesterday in Ahmedabad.

An ATS personnel says, "It's a DVR, which we have recovered from the debris. The FSL team will come here soon." pic.twitter.com/zZg9L4kptY

— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2025

They will review video footage of the incident, including clips of the plane taking off from Ahmedabad. According to international rules, the country where the crash happened — in this case, India — will lead the investigation. Boeing, the company that made the plane, GE Aerospace, which made the engines, and US federal crash investigators will also take part.

Also Read: Amit Shah reviews situation in Ahmedabad, meets survivor

 

Have there been problems with Dreamliners before? Could that be related?

It's not yet clear if the crash had anything to do with past issues, and a final report may take a year. Some experts say it likely wasn't caused by manufacturing problems because the plane had been flying for over 10 years.

“I don’t think this is a manufacturing or production issue,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a retired air safety investigator from the US National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. He added that it’s still too early to know what went wrong, as plane crashes usually involve more than one issue. “It appears the airplane got off the runway with no problem but for some reason was unable to climb,” he said.

Boeing has faced problems with the Dreamliner before, but experts said there’s no clear link yet.

Last year, a whistleblower claimed Boeing took shortcuts while building the 787 to speed up production and that this caused stress on major parts of the plane. Boeing denied these claims. Deliveries of the Dreamliner were stopped for about a year until mid-2022 because of flaws in how the fuselage — the body of the plane — was put together. When the Dreamliner was first introduced in 2011, it was also briefly grounded due to concerns over lithium battery fires.

 

What do we know about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

“The Boeing 787 has been in service for 15 years. It’s a medium to long-distance passenger plane and one of Boeing’s newest designs, made using carbon-fibre materials,” aviation expert Macheras said. He said the plane offers airlines great fuel efficiency and also has a strong safety record. “In fact, in its 15 years of flying worldwide, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has never been involved in a crash, a total loss, or a fatal accident,” Macheras added.

Because of this, the plane is known in the aviation industry for meeting high safety standards in many countries and is widely trusted. It’s often used for long international flights and is considered very reliable. Macheras also said that people in the aviation industry were “utterly shocked” by the crash footage. “They can’t believe that a plane with such a perfect safety history could be involved in something that looks so serious,” he said.

 

Also Read: Air India, DGCA issue statements on flight captain & crew

 

Have Air India planes crashed in the past?

Air India’s safety record is similar to that of international airlines like Turkish Airlines, American Airlines, or Lufthansa. However, it does not match the safety levels of top-tier carriers such as Singapore Airlines or Emirates, which have had zero or almost no fatal crashes in recent decades.

 

Previous instances of fatal Air India crashes include:

• 1966: Flight 101, a Boeing 707, crashed into Mont Blanc in the European Alps, killing all 117 people on board.
• 1978: Flight 855, a Boeing 747, crashed into the Arabian Sea shortly after takeoff, killing all 213 passengers and crew.
• 1985: Flight 182, a Boeing 747, crashed when a bomb was detonated on board, killing all 329 people on board.
• 1982: Flight 403, a Boeing 707, crashed during a hard landing, killing 17 people.
  
  

The Tata Group acquired loss-making Air India from the government in 2021. The airline is now undergoing a strategic revamp, including a major aircraft order, to meet rising demand from India's growing middle class.

 

What are the authorities doing now?

India’s natinal media reported that at least 90 emergency response workers have been deployed at the crash site. Local media reports say one of the aircraft’s two black boxes has been recovered. These black boxes are crucial for crash investigations, as they store flight data, pilot conversations, and radio communications that can help determine the cause of the accident.

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said he was 'shocked and devastated' by the crash, “I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action. Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site.”

 

 

“My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families,” he added. Air India chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran stated, “Further updates will be shared as we receive more verified information. An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families seeking information.”

However, local residents reported that those trying to locate loved ones were struggling to get updates. “It is chaos. They have cordoned off the accident site and ambulances are rushing to hospitals. But the general public and relatives – they are not getting any information,” a witness named Vaidya said.

“Investigations will take time,” said Air India CEO Campbell Wilson in a video message after visiting the crash site. Air India has opened assistance centres at Gatwick, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Ahmedabad airports to support the families of victims. “These centres are facilitating the travel of family members to Ahmedabad,” the airline said in a post on X.

 

Have there been other Boeing disasters in recent years?

Boeing, one of the world’s biggest aircraft makers along with Europe’s Airbus, has faced serious questions about its safety standards after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max planes in 2018 and 2019.

The 737 Max was grounded across the world for nearly two years after one crash killed 189 people in Indonesia in October 2018, and another crash killed 157 people in Ethiopia just five months later. Investigators found that both crashes were caused by problems in the plane’s automatic flight control software, which activated by mistake. Boeing later fixed the software, upgraded the aircraft, and the 737 Max was allowed to fly again. But in January 2024, a new issue occurred when a door panel blew off a Boeing 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight. This problem was linked to a manufacturing defect, where loose parts were found on the plane.

In March 2024, John Barnett, 62, a former Boeing quality manager who had raised safety concerns, died from an apparent suicide. He was giving testimony in a whistleblower case against Boeing at the time. Barnett had worked for Boeing for over 30 years before retiring in 2017. In 2019, he accused the company of using faulty parts in aircraft and claimed passengers on Boeing 787 Dreamliners might not get oxygen if the cabin suddenly lost pressure.

Boeing has denied these claims

After the recent crash of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Boeing issued a short statement, “We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected,” the company said.

Also Read: Boeing’s turmoil clouds future of top US manufacturer