As of now, there is no confirmed report that Air India flight AI-171 has crashed.
In reality, AI-171 is a regular Air India route that operates between Ahmedabad (India) and London (UK), often via Mumbai. It has been in service for years and is not associated with any known aviation disaster.
Research Reference for further reading – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r…
In this video we discuss some highly probably angles based – 1. Existing available information 2. Previous plane crash investigation reports 3. Eye-witness Testimony 4. Fundamentals of Physics and possibilities.
This analysis is strictly based on the details available as of now, and the situation is highly emerging. A full accidental report will be soon provided by the investigative agencies. Like our work, are CRAZY about Science & want to JOIN us? Please fill the applicable form and we will get in touch with you! (Interns can also apply)
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Air India Flight 171 Crash — Summary of Events and Investigation (June 2025)
Air India Flight 171, a scheduled international service from Ahmedabad, India to London Gatwick, United Kingdom, tragically crashed on 12 June 2025, shortly after takeoff. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, went down approximately 30 seconds after leaving the runway, crashing into the hostel block of B. J. Medical College in the Meghaninagar neighborhood of Ahmedabad.
🕒 Timeline and Crash Details
- Time of Incident: 13:38 IST (08:08 UTC)
- Aircraft: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registration VT-ANB
- Crash Site: 1.5 km from the end of the runway, in a densely populated area near Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad
The aircraft was carrying 242 people:
- 230 passengers (including 11 children and 2 infants)
- 12 crew members (2 pilots and 10 cabin crew)
Tragically, only one passenger survived. An additional 38 people on the ground were killed as the aircraft collided with residential medical housing.
✈️ Aircraft Background
- Model: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
- Age: 11 years (delivered January 28, 2014)
- Engines: 2 × General Electric GEnx-1B67
- Manufactured: Boeing Everett Facility (with sections from Charleston)
- Registration: VT-ANB (Serial No. 36279)
This was the first fatal crash and first total hull loss of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft’s entry into service in 2011.
👥 Passengers and Crew
- Nationalities on Board:
- 169 Indian
- 53 British
- 7 Portuguese
- 1 Canadian
- Flight Crew:
- Captain: Sumeet Sabharwal
- First Officer: Clive Kunder
📉 Sequence of the Accident
- The aircraft departed from runway 23 at Ahmedabad International Airport under clear weather conditions.
- ADS-B data showed the aircraft briefly reached 625 feet (191 m), but a sudden loss of altitude followed.
- Transponder signal was lost at around 230 feet (70 m).
- The crew issued a mayday call, citing loss of power and thrust.
- A video captured the aircraft struggling to maintain altitude before crashing out of sight behind buildings, followed by a large explosion and smoke plume.
🏥 Impact on the Ground
The aircraft struck part of the B. J. Medical College hostel and doctors’ quarters, located within the Civil Hospital campus. The tail section was found lodged atop a multi-storey structure.
Eyewitnesses reported multiple explosions and widespread fire damage. Emergency services responded rapidly, but the scale of the devastation was severe.
🧾 Significance
- Deadliest crash involving Air India since Flight 182 (1985 bombing)
- First-ever fatal accident involving the Boeing 787 model
- Highlighted the risks of operating from airports surrounded by dense urban environments
🔍 What’s Next
An investigation is underway involving:
- India’s DGCA
- Aircraft manufacturer Boeing
- Engine supplier General Electric
- International safety experts (e.g., UK AAIB)
The focus is on engine performance, possible bird strike, mechanical failure, or human error.
What we know so far after Air India flight to London crashes in Ahmedabad
An Air India passenger plane bound for London’s Gatwick airport crashed shortly after taking off in Ahmedabad, western India, on Thursday, killing 241 passengers and crew.
At least eight local people on the ground, including four medical students, were also killed, a senior health official told the BBC.
It later emerged thatonly one passenger on the plane, a British man, had survived.
Among those on board were Indian, British, Portuguese and Canadian nationals. Details are still emerging from the scene.
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When and where did the plane crash?
Air India flight AI171 left Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 local time (08:09 GMT), Air India said.
It was scheduled to land at London Gatwick at 18:25 BST.
Moments after departing Ahmedabad, the plane lost altitude and crashed into a residential area of the city called Meghani Nagar.
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According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the signal from the aircraft was lost “less than a minute after take-off”.
Flight tracking data ends with the plane at an altitude of 625ft (190m).
The plane gave a mayday call to air traffic control, India’s aviation regulator said. No response was given by the aircraft after that.
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Doctors’ hostel struck
The plane crashed into a building that was used as doctors’ accommodation at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital.
It was lunch break at the hostel when parts of the plane crashed through the roof of the dining hall.
A photograph taken after the crash showed abandoned tables and plates of food in the hostel’s canteen. At the far end of the room, people gathered to inspect a huge hole in the wall, apparently caused by the impact of the plane.
One woman at the scene said that her son jumped from the second floor of the hostel, sustaining injuries, when the plane crashed.
Dr Minakshi Parikh, the dean of the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital, told the BBC that at least four students and four doctors’ relatives had died.
On Friday, staff at the hospital were busily trying to identify bodies as hundreds of relatives waited anxiously for news.
“We are relying on DNA matching to identify them,” Dr Parikh said. “It is something where we simply cannot rush or afford mistakes.”
Family members have been asked to submit DNA samples to the hospital so that doctors can check if there are matches with the bodies that have been found.
Authorities have said they will release an official death toll once all DNA testing has been completed.
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Verified footage taken in central Ahmedabad showed huge plumes of black smoke in the sky.
The BBC’s Roxy Gagdekar said people near the scene were running to “save as many lives as possible”.
He said emergency services were involved in a rescue operation and trying to extinguish a fire, and described seeing bodies being taken from the area. Read More
