Friends and Family of Air India Pilot Say Goodbye at Funeral: ‘He Was a Hero’

Mourners paid their respects to one of the two pilots from the doomed London-bound Air India Boeing 787 plane that crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, India, killing nearly everyone on board.

Family, friends and neighbors of Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, congregated outside a residential building in Powai, a suburb of Mumbai, to say their goodbyes to the pilot on Tuesday, June 17, reported NDTV, India TV and The Independent.

The funeral procession traveled from Powai to the Chakala electric crematorium.

“I flew with him for many decades,” a former cabin crew colleague of Sabharwal told NDTV. “We shared meals, memories, and long hauls. He was a dedicated son and an incredibly skilled pilot. Always peaceful, composed, and grounded. Never flaunted his position, just a wonderful soul.”

“Very sad, a young life taken away. Unimaginable,” Niranjan Hiranandan, another mourner, also told NDTV. “This is a thoughtful moment, we need to study this thoroughly. We cannot afford for lives to go like this again. The family is devastated.”

Along with his co-pilot, Sabharwal was among the 241 people aboard Air India Flight AI171 that took off from Ahmedabad Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 p.m. local time, Thursday, June 12, and crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was scheduled to land in London at 6:25 p.m.

Air India confirmed that there were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on the plane. The passengers comprised of Indian, British and Portuguese nationals, as well as one person from Canada. The airline later stated that a British man was the “sole survivor” from the disaster.

According to the Independent, Sabharwal logged 8,200 hours of flight experience. He reportedly issued a “mayday” call to air traffic control before the plane went down, per The New York Times.

The newspaper also reported that Sabharwal, who was unmarried, served as his elderly father’s primary caregiver. He also had a sister who resides in Delhi.

“Only a few days ago, he told his father that he would be quitting his job to look after him full time,” Dilip Lande said, a politician who paid his respects to Sabharwal’s family, per The Independent.

Sabharwal’s remains were given to his family in Mumbai, on Tuesday, India TV reported.

Video news footage from the funeral showed Sabharwal’s 88-year-old father standing and praying over his son’s casket.

Locals also praised Sabharwal for his actions for diverting the plane away from a densely populated residential section, possibly saving lives on the ground, The Independent reported.

“He tried his best. He sacrificed his life to save others. I salute him,” said a friend, per NDTV.

“We didn’t speak much, but I know he must’ve done everything to save lives,” a neighbor told the same outlet. “He was a hero.”

Meanwhile, an official cause of the crash remains unknown. Investigators told ABC News that two black boxes were recovered from the crash site.