In brief
Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder lost their lives in the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171, which plummeted just after takeoff, resulting in a devastating loss of life. The plane's 'black boxes' are being analyzed to determine the cause of this horrific incident.
On June 13, 2025, a catastrophic event unfolded as Air India Flight 171 took off from Ahmedabad, bound for London. The plane, a Boeing 787, met its tragic end less than a minute into flight after crashing into a nearby medical college. The incident resulted in a staggering loss of life, with reports indicating that at least 270 individuals perished in the wreckage.The flight's captain, Sumeet Sabharwal, 55, was contemplating an early retirement to care for his elderly father, while his 32-year-old co-pilot, Clive Kunder, was at the start of his aviation career. Together, they boasted nearly 10,000 hours of combined flying experience. Witnesses described the crash as a scene of destruction, with an intense fireball consuming the area where the plane impacted, severely damaging almost all bodies onboard. Recovery efforts progressed slowly, with authorities managing to identify only 19 of the deceased through DNA analysis three days after the tragedy.In the wake of the crash, officials have sealed off both the crash site and sections of the medical college affected by the impact. Investigators are currently analyzing the aircraft's flight data recorder and are searching for the cockpit voice recorder, as they aim to uncover the causes behind the crash—be it mechanical failure, human error, or other factors. Experts believe that the pilots faced an impossible situation, as they had virtually no time to respond to the aircraft's sudden descent.
