What started as a routine international flight quickly turned into one of the deadliest aviation tragedies in recent memory.
An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, heading from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after take-off—killing nearly everyone onboard.
Only one British passenger, seated by the emergency exit, miraculously made it out alive.
As investigators begin to unpack what went wrong, all eyes are on the aircraft’s wing flaps, landing gear, and Air India’s safety practices.
Video Footage Raises Red Flags About the Plane’s Take-Off
Experts reviewing footage of the doomed flight have voiced serious concerns.
Something about the plane’s configuration just didn’t sit right.
Former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein pointed out that the aircraft appeared to have its landing gear down during take-off—which is highly unusual.
Even more concerning was the apparent absence of the proper flap setting, which plays a critical role in helping the plane lift off the ground.
According to Rosenschein, this could’ve caused the plane to fail to gain enough altitude, ultimately leading to the crash. “It looks like an aerodynamic issue,” he said.
“The aircraft seemed to be descending instead of climbing—it doesn’t look right.”
The Dreamliner’s Design May Not Be at Fault Alone
This isn’t the first time the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has made headlines for the wrong reasons.
Just last month, an American Airlines 787 had to make four emergency landings, all apparently due to the wing flaps failing to deploy correctly.
Flights out of Amsterdam, Dublin, Barcelona, and Zurich were all either aborted or redirected because of these technical issues.
Now, people are wondering—did Air India’s 787 suffer the same fate?
The Flap Setting—A Small Detail That Could Be Life or Death
Aviation expert Marco Chan, from Buckinghamshire New University, also weighed in on the possibility that the flaps were not configured properly.
He explained how this component increases the wing’s surface area, helping the plane take off at lower speeds.
But here’s the thing: if the flaps are set incorrectly, they can actually backfire—stalling the aircraft instead of helping it rise.
Chan added, “If it’s true the flap setting wasn’t right, that would fall under human error.”
However, he also emphasized that there are supposed to be checks in place to prevent that from happening.
British Survivor Describes the Nightmare: “I Thought I Was Dead”
The only person who survived the crash, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, has shared his account from his hospital bed.
Seated in 11A, right next to the emergency exit, Ramesh described how just seconds after takeoff, the plane felt like it was “stuck in the air.”
Then, the lights began flickering green and white.
Before he knew it, the aircraft slammed into a building—a medical college—and exploded.
“I saw people dying in front of my eyes,” he told India’s DD News. “At first, I thought I was dead too.”
What saved him? Pure instinct. He spotted a hole in the fuselage, unbuckled himself, pushed through with his legs, and crawled out—somehow walking away from the wreckage.
Safety Oversight Now Under the Microscope
This tragic crash has also shined a spotlight on Air India’s broader safety practices.
Sanat Kaul, a former senior official in India’s Civil Aviation Ministry, revealed that the regulatory body DGCA had previously raised red flags about the airline.
These warnings included concerns about inspection quality and maintenance lapses.
Particularly under scrutiny now is what’s known as “line maintenance”—the routine safety checks performed before every flight.
Were they skipped? Rushed? Incomplete? That’s one of the big questions investigators are trying to answer.
Indian Government May Ground the Entire Fleet
With tensions rising, reports suggest that the Indian government is seriously considering grounding all of Air India’s Boeing 787 aircraft.
The airline hasn’t commented on the safety concerns raised by Kaul, but its CEO, Campbell Wilson, has expressed deep sorrow over the disaster.
Wilson visited the crash site and stated that Air India is doing everything possible to assist families, crew, and passengers.
However, he declined to take any questions from the press.
Black Box Recovered, But the Mystery Isn’t Over
One of the aircraft’s two black boxes has already been found, and the hunt continues for the other.
These devices will be essential in piecing together what happened during those final, terrifying moments of Flight 171.
Until then, speculation will continue. Was it a mechanical failure? Human error? Negligent maintenance? Or a tragic combination of all three?
The Worst Dreamliner Disaster Involving British Nationals
This crash has now gone down as one of the deadliest aviation tragedies for British passengers, with 53 Britons among the 242 people on board.
It’s also the first major crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
For now, grieving families and the world are waiting on answers—hoping the black boxes and further investigation will bring some clarity to a tragedy that’s shaken international aviation to its core.