More than 260 lives were tragically lost on Thursday when Air India Flight A171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad. Bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner barely left the ground before plummeting into a quiet residential neighborhood. Out of the 242 people aboard, only one person survived. The crash also killed several people on the ground, including children, doctors, and entire families who lived in the once-tranquil area that became a fiery wreck.
Eyewitnesses painted a scene of absolute devastation. Bodies were scattered across the street, buildings were in flames, and panicked residents leapt from balconies to escape the inferno. Locals rushed in before emergency crews arrived, pulling the injured from burning structures and rushing them to hospitals.
Poonam Patni, a nearby resident, described the chaos: “There were several bodies lying around, and firefighters were dousing the flames. Many were burned beyond recognition.” Others recalled the horrifying sight of people jumping from upper floors as their homes were engulfed in flames.
The aircraft, still low to the ground, turned the neighborhood into a war zone.
Just moments before the crash, the flight crew issued a mayday call. Radar data later revealed the plane had only reached an altitude of about 190 meters—far below a safe cruising level—before disaster struck.
The airline’s chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, confirmed that Air India is cooperating with Boeing and GE Aerospace to uncover the truth, and that top experts from both companies have been brought in to support the investigation.
One of the aircraft’s black boxes has already been recovered. While investigators have urged the public to be patient and avoid speculation, aviation experts are cautiously offering initial insights.
Dr. Sonya Brown, an aerospace design specialist from the University of New South Wales, shared her early analysis with The Guardian. Based on available footage, she believes the plane may have experienced a sudden loss of thrust, leading to a stall. “If thrust is lost, speed drops, and lift—which depends on the square of speed—falls sharply. That can cause an immediate and uncontrollable stall after takeoff,” she explained. However, the cause of the loss of thrust remains unknown.
Video clips from nearby surveillance cameras show the aircraft lifting off, then abruptly dipping and vanishing behind a row of trees before exploding in a fiery crash. The events unfolded so quickly that pilots likely had no time to correct or recover.
Professor John McDermid, a flight safety expert from the University of York, emphasized the dangers of the takeoff phase.
“Takeoff and landing are the riskiest parts of a flight,” he told The Mirror. “Crashes at cruising altitude are extremely rare. The fact that this happened before the plane reached 200 meters suggests something sudden and catastrophic occurred.” He dismissed overload or excess fuel as probable causes, stating the data didn’t support those theories.
Weather conditions were also ruled out. Professor Paul Williams, an atmospheric scientist, confirmed that visibility was clear and wind speeds were low. “There’s no indication weather played a role in this incident,” he said.
Attention is now turning to the aircraft itself. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has a strong safety record and has flown successfully around the world for years. However, this marks the first major fatal crash involving this model. Professor Graham Braithwaite of Cranfield University noted that the critical moments right after takeoff allow very little margin for error. “The aircraft is still accelerating, and pilots have very little time to diagnose and respond to problems during that phase.”
Former airline captain Terry Tozer told GB News that it’s far too early to speculate, but acknowledged how unusual it was for such a catastrophic failure to occur so quickly after takeoff. “It’s baffling. This is a moment when aircraft are still able to abort or recover if something goes wrong.
That didn’t happen here.”
For now, the black box holds the best hope for answers. Until its contents are analyzed, the cause of the crash remains a mystery.
What is certain is the overwhelming grief that has followed. Families are mourning loved ones, first responders are reeling from the horror they witnessed, and the aviation community is once again reminded of how precious and fragile life can be at 30,000 feet—or even just 600.
May the victims of this unspeakable tragedy rest in peace, and may the answers come swiftly for those left behind in sorrow.
