On Thursday afternoon, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (Flight AI171) carrying 242 passengers crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport. The incident occurred in the Meghaninagar area, near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
Twelve crew members, including two pilots, were also onboard. The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, with First Officer Clive Kundar.
A Warning That Came Too Late
Just two hours before the crash, a flyer named Akash Vatsa had flown on the same aircraft from Delhi to Ahmedabad. And he had something to say:
“I was in the same damn flight 2 hours before it took off from AMD. Noticed unusual things in the place,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Vatsa recorded and posted videos online, flagging multiple technical issues. The AC wasn’t working, forcing passengers to fan themselves with in-flight magazines. TV screens? Dead. Call buttons? Dead. Reading lights? Also dead.
“Nothing is working,” he said in frustration, panning the camera over restless passengers.
I was in the same damn flight 2 hours before it took off from AMD. I came in this from DEL-AMD. Noticed unusual things in the place.Made a video to tweet to @airindia i would want to give more details. Please contact me. @flyingbeast320 @aajtak @ndtv @Boeing_In #planecrash #AI171 pic.twitter.com/TymtFSFqJo
— Akash Vatsa (@akku92) June 12, 2025
A System That’s Flying Blind?
The Air India crash raises big questions about aircraft maintenance and how passenger complaints are handled. If someone points out issues—and even posts videos of them—shouldn’t that raise an alert?
In any other industry, if your car AC, dashboard, and lights stopped working all at once, you’d get it checked before driving. But in aviation? We call it “scheduled.”
Vatsa’s video wasn’t a rant—it might have been a warning shot that nobody caught.
Air India Has Yet to Respond
At the time of writing, Air India has not released a detailed statement on whether the same plane was reported for faults hours earlier. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is reportedly investigating the crash, and external aviation experts are also being consulted.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about one plane. It’s about accountability.
It’s about how much we trust airlines to take our lives seriously—not just our ticket fares.
Air India has had a history of technical complaints, delayed flights, and service breakdowns. But this? This feels like a tragic red flag that no one took seriously.
Also Read ‘Mayday call to ATC…’ Inside the Crash of Air India’s London-Bound Flight in Ahmedabad
