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What we know after Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London crashes What we know so far about Air India crash investigation
(about 1 month later)
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. An Air India passenger plane bound for London's Gatwick airport crashed shortly after taking off in Ahmedabad, western India, on 12 June, killing 260 people.
At least eight local people on the ground, including four medical students, were also killed, a senior health official told the BBC. The crash killed 242 people on board the flight and 19 others on the ground, with only one survivor from the plane.
It later emerged that only one passenger on the plane, a British man, had survived. A preliminary report into the investigation, published on 12 July in India, found that just seconds after take-off, fuel-control switches abruptly moved to the "cut-off" position, starving the engines of fuel and triggering total power loss.
Among those on board were Indian, British, Portuguese and Canadian nationals. Details are still emerging from the scene. The circumstances around how or why that happened remain unclear. Here is what we know so far.
British passenger in seat 11A survives India plane crash
Why cockpit audio deepens the mystery of Air India crash
Fuel to engines cut off before Air India crash, preliminary report says
When and where did the plane crash?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. Air India flight AI171 left Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport just before 13:39 local time (08:09 GMT) on Thursday 12 June, Air India said.
It was scheduled to land at London Gatwick at 18:25 BST.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. The flight was airborne for less than 40 seconds. One of the pilots submitted a mayday call just before the plane crashed in a crowded neighbourhood.
The plane struck a doctors' hostel after crashing into the residential area of Meghani Nagar on Thursday The plane plummeted into a building used as doctors' accommodation at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital, causing an explosion. It was lunch break at the hostel when parts of the aircraft crashed through the roof of the dining hall.
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the signal from the aircraft was lost "less than a minute after take-off". The Air India flight climbed to 625 feet in clear weather before losing location data 50 seconds in, per Flightradar24.
Flight tracking data ends with the plane at an altitude of 625ft (190m). What has a preliminary report said about the crash?
The plane gave a mayday call to air traffic control, India's aviation regulator said. No response was given by the aircraft after that. Fuel to the engines of the Air India plane involved in a deadly crash was cut off moments after take-off, a preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has found.
Doctors' hostel struck In recovered cockpit voice recordings, the report said one of the pilots can be heard asking "why did you cut off?" - to which the other pilot replied he "did not do so".
The plane crashed into a building that was used as doctors' accommodation at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital. The Gatwick-bound plane was being piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar. The report does not specify which voice is which.
It was lunch break at the hostel when parts of the plane crashed through the roof of the dining hall. According to data from the flight recorder, both of the plane's fuel control switches moved from the run to the cut-off position in the space of a second, shortly after take-off.
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. What the fuel switches would have looked like inside a Boeing 787 Dreamliner cockpit
One woman at the scene said that her son jumped from the second floor of the hostel, sustaining injuries, when the plane crashed. The switches are usually only cut off to turn off the engines after landing, or during emergency situations such as an engine fire - rather than during take-off.
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. The cut-off caused both engines to lose thrust, the AAIB report said.
On Friday, staff at the hospital were busily trying to identify bodies as hundreds of relatives waited anxiously for news. The fuel switches then moved back into their normal in-flight position, automatically starting the process of relighting the engines. One engine, the report said, was able to regain thrust - but could not reverse the plane's deceleration.
"We are relying on DNA matching to identify them," Dr Parikh said. "It is something where we simply cannot rush or afford mistakes." One of the pilots submitted a mayday call just before the plane crashed into the doctors' accommodation.
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. The plane struck a doctors' hostel after crashing into the residential area of Meghani Nagar
Authorities have said they will release an official death toll once all DNA testing has been completed. The report said that "no significant bird activity" was observed in the vicinity of the plane's flight path.
Verified footage taken in central Ahmedabad showed huge plumes of black smoke in the sky. The report also said: "At this stage of investigation, there are no recommended actions to B787-8 and/or GE GEnx-1B engine operators and manufacturers".
The BBC's Roxy Gagdekar said people near the scene were running to "save as many lives as possible". The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin in 2019 highlighting that some Boeing 737 fuel control switches were installed with the locking feature disengaged, the report said.
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. The issue was not deemed an unsafe condition requiring an Airworthiness Directive - a legally enforceable regulation.
Warning: the following clip contains distressing footage. The same switch design is used in Air India's VT-ANB aircraft which crashed. As the bulletin was advisory, Air India did not perform inspections.
Footage shows moments before Air India crash There had been no defect reported pertaining to the fuel control switch since 2023 on VT-ANB, the report said.
An investigation led by AAIB - with experts from Boeing, General Electric, Air India, Indian regulators, and participants from the US and UK - is in progress.
A final, more detailed report is expected in 12 months.
How have Air India and Boeing reacted to the report?
An Air India spokesperson said the airline acknowledged receipt of the preliminary report.
"We continue to fully co-operate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses. Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB," the Air India spokesperson added.
The crash is a major setback for Air India, which is in the middle of a business turnaround following its privatisation. It was bought out by the Tata Group from the Indian government in 2022.
The airline has announced a cut in international operations on its wide-body aircraft as it grapples with several disruptions in the aftermath of the crash.
In a statement, Boeing said it would defer to AAIB to provide information about the crashed plane, in adherence with protocol under the UN International Civil Aviation Organization. It also said it continued to support the investigation and its customer, Air India.
The US National Transportation Safety Board in a statement thanked Indian officials for their co-operation and noted that there were no recommended actions in the report aimed at operators of Boeing-787 jets or the GE engines.
Who was on board?Who was on board?
Air India confirmed that there were 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which has a total of 256 seats. Watch: British passenger seen walking away from the India plane crash wreckage
Air India confirmed there were 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which has a total of 256 seats.
There were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian and 12 crew on the plane.There were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian and 12 crew on the plane.
The sole survivor of the crash was Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British man who was sitting in seat 11A. "I still cannot believe how I made it out alive," the sole survivor of the crash, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who was sat in seat 11A, told India's state broadcaster DD News.
India's state broadcaster DD News has spoken to Mr Ramesh, who is currently being treated in hospital.
"I still cannot believe how I made it out alive," he said.
"At first, I thought I was going to die. I managed to open my eyes, unfastened my seat belt and tried to exit the plane.""At first, I thought I was going to die. I managed to open my eyes, unfastened my seat belt and tried to exit the plane."
Mr Ramesh said the side of the plane that he was sitting on did not hit the hostel and was closer to the ground floor. "My door broke down and I saw a small space," he said. "I tried to get out of the plane."Mr Ramesh said the side of the plane that he was sitting on did not hit the hostel and was closer to the ground floor. "My door broke down and I saw a small space," he said. "I tried to get out of the plane."
He said he did not know the whereabouts of his brother, Ajay, who was also on the plane. His brother Ajay was also on the plane but did not survive the crash.
The Foreign Office has been in contact with Mr Ramesh "to offer consular support", Downing Street said.The Foreign Office has been in contact with Mr Ramesh "to offer consular support", Downing Street said.
A family from Gloucester - Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their daughter Sara - are among those who were on the flight. In a statement, Gloucester Muslim Society said it was "profoundly heartbroken" and offered its "deepest condolences" to the family.
Who are the victims of the Air India plane crash?Who are the victims of the Air India plane crash?
Ammaarah Taju, the granddaughter of a couple on the plane, told the BBC from her parents' home in Blackburn that the family is "clinging onto hope" they are still alive. British passenger in seat 11A survives India plane crash
Adam Taju, 72 and his 70-year-old wife Hasina were flying with their son-in-law Altafhusen Patel, 51, who lives in London with his wife.
An "emergency centre has been activated" and a support team put in place for families seeking information, Air India's chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said.
The Foreign Office said British nationals with concerns about friends or family should call 0207 008 5000. As of Friday morning, Downing Street said the helpline had received "almost 300" calls.
Watch: British passenger survives India plane crash, reports say
What do we know about the plane?What do we know about the plane?
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
The model was launched 14 years ago. Just six weeks ago, Boeing lauded the fact that it had reached the milestone of carrying one billion passengers. The model was launched 14 years ago. Earlier this year, Boeing lauded the fact that it had reached the milestone of carrying one billion passengers.
Air India operates a fleet of more than 190 planes including 58 Boeing aircraft, according to its website.Air India operates a fleet of more than 190 planes including 58 Boeing aircraft, according to its website.
The crashed 787 Dreamliner was 11 years old and had completed more than 700 flights in the year leading up to the disaster, Flightradar24 data showed.The crashed 787 Dreamliner was 11 years old and had completed more than 700 flights in the year leading up to the disaster, Flightradar24 data showed.
In a statement, Boeing said: "We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected." After the crash, India's aviation regulator ordered safety checks on the airline's entire Boeing-787 fleet.
India's aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on the airline's entire Boeing-787 fleet. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation also announced that from 15 June one-time checks of take-off parameters will be implemented for every departure of a Boeing 787-7 or 787-9 plane. Power assurance checks have also been implemented.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has also announced that from 15 June one-time checks of take-off parameters will be implemented for every departure of a Boeing 787-7 or 787-9 plane. Power assurance checks will begin in two weeks.
Did wing flaps play a role in causing crash?
Aviation experts have told the BBC the position of the plane's wing flaps as it took off may have caused a problem for the plane.
One video verified by the BBC shows the plane descending before a large explosion occurs as it hits the ground.
"When I'm looking at this, the undercarriage is still down but the flaps have been retracted," aviation analyst Geoffrey Thomas said.
Another expert, Terry Tozer, said: "It's very hard to say from the video for sure, it doesn't look as if the flaps are extended and that would be a perfectly obvious explanation for an aircraft not completing its take-off correctly."
"That would point to potential human error if flaps aren't set correctly," said Marco Chan, a former pilot and a senior lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University. "But the resolution of the video is too low to confirm that."
BBC VERIFY: What could have caused Air India plane to crash in 30 seconds?
Air India Crash: What we know from video and flight data
What have the airline and authorities said?
After confirming that the London-bound flight on Thursday morning had been "involved in an accident today after take-off", Air India said that it was fully co-operating with authorities investigating the crash.
The airline has set up a dedicated passenger hotline to provide further information: 1800 5691 444.
A spokesperson for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport said all operations had been suspended until further notice. They advised passengers to check with their airline before travelling to the airport.
Tata Group, which owns Air India, has said it will give 1 crore rupees - the equivalent of around £86,000 – to the families of each person killed in the crash. It also said that it would cover the hospital bills of those injured and help to rebuild the medical college hostel.
The chief executive of Air India, Campbell Wilson, described his "deep sorrow" following the incident.
"This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones," he said in a video statement.
A formal investigation has been launched by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) into the cause of the crash. A team of US investigators led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will travel to India to lend support.
Air India and Boeing have said they will cooperate with the investigation.
On Friday, India's civil aviation minister said one of the plane's two black boxes - or flight data recorders - had been retrieved from the crash site in Ahmedabad.
"This marks an important step forward in the investigation," Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said. "This will significantly aid the inquiry into the incident."
How have India and the UK reacted?
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site of the crash in his home state of Gujarat on Friday, and later said "the scene of the devastation is saddening" in a post on X.
Modi also visited Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital to meet some of those injured in the disaster, including the sole plane survivor Vishwashkumar Ramesh.
UK Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer said the scenes from Ahmedabad were "absolutely devastating".
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK was working with local authorities in India to "urgently establish the facts" and provide support.
A team of UK experts has also been deployed to India to assist with the formal investigation.
King Charles and Queen Camilla said they were "desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad" and extended their sympathy to those affected.
The King said in a statement: "I would like to pay a particular tribute to the heroic efforts of the emergency services and all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time."
You can also get in touch by following this linkYou can also get in touch by following this link