Standing on a terrace near the airport in Ahmedabad, 17-year-old Aryan Asari was excited to see airplanes flying very close overhead. He was visiting his father, who lives in the busy Laxminagar area. Aryan, a Class 12 student, thought it would be fun to shoot a video of the planes to share with his friends in his village in Aravalli district.
But what he ended up capturing on video shocked everyone — including himself. The video showed an Air India Dreamliner 787-8 struggling in the air before crashing in a huge fireball. This footage has now become a key piece of evidence for the crash investigation.
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Aryan said he had never seen a plane flying so low before. He thought he was recording a regular landing, but the plane started to shake and then exploded. “I got scared when I saw it turn into a ball of fire,” he told reporters.
He quickly shared the video with his father, who is a retired army officer and now works for the Ahmedabad Metro. Since then, Aryan has been deeply traumatised. He finds it hard to sleep and gets scared every time he hears a plane fly by.
The police spoke to Aryan to get more information about what he saw. They said they did not detain him — they only asked questions for the investigation. However, the sudden attention from media and police has frightened Aryan even more.
His family said the situation has left a deep emotional impact on him. “He was upset after finding out that he had filmed the final moments of 242 people who lost their lives,” a family member said.
Aryan had once dreamed of flying in an airplane. Now, he says he never wants to sit in a plane again.
His friend Raj Singh, who was with him when the crash happened, said Aryan was excited to see planes so close for the first time. But after witnessing the explosion, Aryan ran back inside and refused to go near the crash site, unlike other residents.
Local residents shared how their peaceful neighborhood changed overnight. News reporters, police, and curious visitors crowded the area after Aryan’s video went viral.
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Aryan’s neighbour Sunita Singh said, “He panics every time a plane passes now. He barely talks. His father even had to ask the media to leave.”
Other residents also shared their fear. “We were used to the sound of planes above. Now, every flight overhead makes us nervous,” one man said. Another woman added, “For the first time in 15 years, we saw what a plane crash actually looks like. It has changed how we feel about planes.”
Many people living in the area work at the airport as ground staff or janitors. Children in the area used to get excited watching the planes. But now, the incident has left a mark on everyone.
