Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 PM on June 12, 2025, bound for London Gatwick. Minutes after takeoff, the aircraft began a rapid descent and crashed in the Meghaninagar area. All 242 onboard—169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian—were affected. The airline has since launched a full-scale investigation, with cooperation from DGCA and AAIB.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief, calling the incident “heartbreaking beyond words.” Condolences also poured in from global leaders. Meanwhile, Air India set up a passenger helpline to assist families.
Warning Before Disaster
Hours after the crash, a passenger named Akash Vatsa shared videos on social media claiming he had flown the same aircraft earlier that day from Delhi to Ahmedabad. He alleged “unusual things” during the journey, including non-functional air conditioning, broken TV screens, and unresponsive seat buttons. In one clip, passengers can be seen using magazines to fan themselves amid a lack of cooling.
FCRF x CERT-In Roll Out National Cyber Crisis Management Course to Prepare India’s Digital Defenders
“We are about to taxi, but nothing is working—not the AC, not the seat buttons, not even the lights,” Vatsa said in the clip, visibly frustrated. He noted that he had planned to tag Air India in a tweet to flag the problems. His videos went viral hours after the tragedy.
The420 could not independently verify Vatsa’s claims or the authenticity of the footage.
Airline, Authorities Respond
In a statement, Air India acknowledged the incident and said it was working with aviation authorities. Officials confirmed the aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Twelve crew members, including two pilots, were on board.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation, the DGCA, and the AAIB have launched a joint probe to determine the cause of the crash. Preliminary theories range from technical failure to human error, but no official conclusion has been drawn.
Social Media Reactions and Criticism of His Claims
As the video claiming technical issues onboard surfaced and spread rapidly, it triggered mixed reactions online. Among the voices was that of a well-known aviation influencer and pilot (Gaurav Taneja) who criticized the media’s rush to amplify unverified claims. He warned that republishing a user video about malfunctioning air conditioning and entertainment screens—without independent verification—was irresponsible journalism. He likened it to previous instances where news coverage had fueled unnecessary panic, calling it a “twisting” of facts to suggest an aircraft malfunction where none had been confirmed.
Other users on social media went further, accusing the original passenger of “engagement farming,” pointing out that such issues—like faulty seat buttons or non-functioning screens—are minor cabin defects and common across airlines. Many argued that they were not uncommon and unlikely to have caused or contributed to a crash.
As aviation authorities continue their full-scale investigation into the actual cause of the crash, experts and passengers alike urged for restraint in speculation, emphasizing the importance of facts over fear in the aftermath of tragedy.