The pilot of the Air India flight AI 171 that crashed on June 12 may have saved thousands of lives with one last heroic act.
The flight crashed only moments after taking off from India’s Ahmedabad Airport. It was scheduled for London Gatwick at 6.25pm local time.
It is believed that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed and hit a medical college hostel.
It has since been reported that there was only one survivor, 40-year-old British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
The police have shared that 270 bodies have been pulled from the wreck, so far including passengers and those on the ground.
People are now speculating that the numbers could have been a lot higher if the pilot hadn’t done this one thing.
The two pilots in control of the plane were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder.
While flying over Civil Hospital Ahmedabad, a facility that reportedly has more than 3000 beds, the pilot managed to swerve the building – which many online are speculating was intentional.
One person shared on Reddit: “Air India AI-171 crashed just 1.7 km from the Ahmedabad airport. It crashed in a somewhat loosely populated area which has doctor’s hostels and mess for medical students of BJMC and Civil Hospital Ahmedabad.”
“Just 400 metres north of the crash site is a civil hospital and south just adjacent to the airport wall is a high-density residential area,” they continued.
Also nearby the crash site is Asarva, a community with more than 5,100 people living. Had the crash happened there, the death toll would be much higher.
Currently under investigation, what caused the crash has not been shared but India’s aviation regulator shared they gave a mayday call to air traffic control but that was the last contact they had.
Sabharwal reportedly said: “Mayday […] no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.”
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the Chairman of Air India, shared a statement following the tragedy: “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India flight, AI171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event.
“At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.
“Further updates will be shared as we receive more verified information. An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families.”
