In a chilling Mayday call, the pilot of the doomed Air india flight from Ahmedabad made one final plea for help, moments before the aircraft crashed into a doctors’ hostel, killing nearly everyone on board.
This incident is one of the worst aviation tragedies in India. Credit: NurPhoto / Getty Images.
The veteran pilot, who had more than 8,200 hours of flight experience, tried desperately to keep the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in the air, but it wasn’t enough, The mirrror reports.
As previously reported, the aircraft began to stall just 625 feet off the ground within seconds of taking off for London Gatwick on Thursday. Flight tracking data shows that control was lost in a terrifying 17-second window, before the plane plummeted and exploded on impact.
“Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift,” Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was heard telling air traffic control, according to early reports, according to the Londom evening standard .
The crash site, a doctors’ hostel near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, was left in ruins. Rescue workers have confirmed that the death toll has now surpassed 290, with passengers, crew, and people on the ground all among the victims.Remarkably, one man survived.40-year-old British father, Vishwash kumar ramesh, somehow made it out alive. He was travelling with his brother Ajay, who tragically did not survive. Vishwash was later seen limping through the wreckage before being rushed to hospital with chest, foot and eye injuries.
Of the 242 people onboard, 232 passengers and 10 crew, Vishwash is the only known survivor.
The devastating scale of the tragedy is still unfolding. Among the victims are 53 British nationals, 169 Indian citizens, seven Portuguese passengers, and one Canadian.
A young British family from Gloucester was also among those lost, 36-year-old recruitment consultant Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa, 30, and their four-year-old daughter Sara.
The Gloucester Muslim Community released a statement saying: “We are profoundly heartbroken by the devastating loss of life. During this moment of overwhelming sorrow, our hearts go out to all those left behind.”
Also among the dead were 55-year-old Raxa Modha from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and her two-year-old grandson, Rudra.
Raj Mishra, the mayor of Wellingborough, added: “May their memories be a blessing, and may we come together to support one another in this time of grief.”
Heartbreaking CCTV footage of the crash, now circulating online, shows the aircraft lifting off before spiralling downward in a fatal dive, erupting in a fireball.
Investigations are ongoing into what caused the catastrophic engine failure. Air India released a brief statement: “Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, June 12, 2025. We are ascertaining the details and will share further updates on our website.”
For now, the world mourns, and one man is left with the impossible task of healing after surviving what no one else did.
