 "This is the first fatal crash involving a 787-8 Dreamliner since the aircraft began commercial operations in 2011. Reuters")
A London-bound Air India flight crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing 241 people on board. Only one person survived the crash.
Air India confirmed the number of deaths in a post on X at 12.41 am on Friday. It is one of the worst aviation disasters the country has seen.
Read Ahmedabad Plane Crash Live Updates here.
The Boeing 787-8 hit a medical college building and caught fire just minutes after leaving Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
The airline said there were 230 passengers on board: 169 were Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. The remaining 12 were two pilots and 10 crew members.
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Hours after the crash, several facts have come out, but many questions still remain unanswered.
What caused the plane crash? What does the black box reveal?
In this explainer, we look at everything we know and do not yet know about the crash.
Let’s find out:
Air India plane crash: What we know about the incident
1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site on Friday and was briefed about the situation before heading to the hospital where the injured are being treated. He was accompanied by Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu as he assessed the situation on the ground.
2. Air India confirmed the death toll from flight AI171. The plane was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members when it crashed shortly after take-off, killing 241 people. The only survivor is receiving treatment in the hospital.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts3. The passengers included 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian. Air India said the lone survivor is a British citizen of Indian origin.
4. The aircraft crashed into the BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad. According to the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), the victims at the site included five MBBS students, one postgraduate resident doctor and the wife of a superspecialist.
5. This is the first fatal crash involving a 787-8 Dreamliner since the aircraft began commercial operations in 2011.
6. Videos of the incident show the plane flying unusually low and struggling to gain height before hitting the ground and erupting in flames. The crash happened around 1:38 pm.
7. After take-off, the crew sent a Mayday call but did not respond to follow-up messages. The aircraft went down just outside the airport limits in the Meghani Nagar area. It reportedly lost signal at 625 feet and crashed roughly nine minutes after take-off clearance.
8. Among those who died was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani . He was on his way to London to visit his family.
9. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said rescue efforts were hampered by extremely high temperatures caused by the burning of around 1.25 lakh litres of aviation fuel.
10. Air India has set up a helpline for updates and information. The number is 1800 5691 444.
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11. Around two dozen ambulances reached the scene, with several injured people taken to the hospital. Police have redirected traffic away from the area.
12. Access roads to the airport and crash zone have been sealed to allow rescue teams to work without delay. The Indian Army’s medical team has joined the police and fire department in the ongoing relief efforts.
13. Civil Aviation Minister Naidu has urged officials to speed up the investigation into what is one of the deadliest plane crashes in the world in recent years.
14. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, will lead the inquiry. A team from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will also be travelling to India to help with the investigation.
15. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 flying hours, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours.
Ahmedabad plane crash: What do we not know about the incident
1. The exact reason behind the crash has not been confirmed yet. Some aviation experts believe that possible overloading, a bird strike, or the rare failure of both engines could have stopped the plane from gaining enough lift after take-off, according to reports.
2. A key part of the investigation depends on recovering both black boxes from the aircraft. So far, one has been found: the one located at the rear of the plane, Hindustan Times reported. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation will take charge of examining the data. The search for the second black box is still going on.
What is a black box?
Despite its name, a black box is a bright orange device built to withstand heavy impact and fire. Every commercial aircraft carries two of them: one Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and one Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).
These devices record detailed information about the plane’s performance and crew conversations. In this case, the black box could help confirm whether the crash was caused by a technical fault, engine failure, bird strike, on-board fire or explosion, or human error.
With inputs from agencies