It’s hard to imagine anyone walking away from a plane crash—let alone while casually talking on the phone—but that’s exactly what one man did.
As flames and thick black smoke rose behind him, 40-year-old British citizen Viswash Kumar Ramesh was seen calmly strolling away from the wreckage of Air India Flight AI171.
A new video, captured just moments after the devastating crash, shows this surreal moment unfold outside a medical college in Ahmedabad.
A Trip Home That Turned Into a Tragedy
Viswash had been in India with his brother Ajay for nearly a year and was headed back to London to reunite with his family. Tragically, his brother didn’t make it.
They had been seated next to each other on the flight.
The aircraft was bound for Gatwick but never made it past takeoff, crashing just seconds after leaving Ahmedabad airport.
The crash killed all 241 people on board and caused devastation on the ground, bringing the total death toll to at least 270, according to doctors at the scene.
Dazed but Alive: Viswash’s Remarkable Escape
Footage captured in the aftermath shows a stunned Viswash wandering the nearby streets, seemingly unaware of the chaos behind him.
Locals were screaming, trying to make sense of the horrific explosion.
One man ran toward him shouting, “Plane fatyo che,” which means “the plane exploded” in Gujarati.
Viswash later recounted his survival from a hospital bed at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, just a short distance from the crash site.
Still processing what had happened, he admitted, “I can’t explain everything I saw.”
He revealed that his seat—11A—was damaged, and the emergency exit near him was broken.
Miraculously, the portion of the aircraft where he was sitting ended up on the rooftop of a low-rise building, allowing him to crawl out with the help of bystanders.
A Walking Miracle: Minor Injuries, Heavy Loss
Despite the severity of the crash, doctors described his injuries as minor.
He suffered some abrasions on his arm and swelling near his eyes, but scans showed no internal damage.
“It’s a miracle,” Viswash told reporters. “I just walked out, innit.”
His father, who rushed to be by his side, was reportedly too heartbroken to speak after losing his other son.
A family friend, Deepak Devjil, said, “He’s still coming to terms with the tragedy.”
And he’s not alone—hundreds of families are reeling from the loss, waiting anxiously for answers and grieving for their loved ones.
Clues Emerge: What Went Wrong?
Investigators are now piecing together what caused the crash.
The second black box, known as the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), was recovered over the weekend.
Alongside the Flight Data Recorder found earlier, it will help recreate the final moments of the doomed Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
The CVR stores pilot conversations, alarms, and cockpit sounds, which may shed light on why the plane failed just after takeoff.
Reports suggest that a distress call—“Thrust not achieved… falling… Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!”—was issued by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had over 8,000 hours of flight experience.
A Suspected Engine Failure in Mid-Air
A growing theory points toward a catastrophic dual engine failure.
Commercial pilot and aviation analyst Steve Schreiber—better known online as Captain Steve—examined high-definition footage of the crash and spotted a critical detail: the deployment of the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), a device that activates when a plane loses both engines or faces total electrical or hydraulic failure.
“This little grey dot,” he explained, referring to the RAT under the aircraft’s wing, “is the emergency system’s last line of defense.”
It provides emergency power in desperate situations, though it’s not designed for low-altitude emergencies like this one.
He also noted a distinct high-pitched sound in the video—another sign that the RAT had kicked in.
A Closer Look at the Aircraft’s History
The Dreamliner involved had passed a major maintenance inspection in June 2023 and wasn’t due for another until late 2025.
So what caused such a sudden and catastrophic failure?
Experts suggest possibilities like a bird strike or extreme wind shear could have triggered engine stalls at the most critical point—takeoff.
Boeing specialists have now arrived in Ahmedabad to join Indian investigators in determining what exactly happened.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading the probe and has promised a thorough analysis using data from both black boxes.
Heartbreaking Aftermath: Families Still Waiting
Meanwhile, families of the victims continue to suffer.
Some funerals have already taken place, and DNA testing is helping to identify bodies.
But many relatives are still waiting for answers—or even confirmation.
Rinal Christian, a 23-year-old whose brother was on the flight, expressed her frustration: “They said we’d know in 48 hours. It’s been four days. We’ve heard nothing.”