As the investigation into the doomed Air India flight continues, new details are emerging about the moments before the fateful crash in which more than 240 people perished.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and his co-pilot Clive Kundar.
In the seconds after the plane took off, a distress signal was made to the control tower.
Highlights
- The pilot and co-pilot of fated flight AI171 made a final distress call to Air Traffic Control
- The tower lost contact with the plane shortly after
- The captain had more than 20 years of experience as a commercial airline pilot
Moments later, the plane crashed.
“Losing power, no thrust, unable to lift off”: Media report on pilot’s mayday call
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According to Reuters news agency, officials from ATC, air traffic control, at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad said the plane took off at 1:39pm.
A few moments after taking off, media reported that Captain Sabharwal made a mayday call to ATC.
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And when ATC tried to respond, the plane went silent.
Captain Sabharwal was a seasoned pilot with more than 20 years of experience
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Captain Sabharwal was an experienced pilot as was his co-pilot. Media has reported that the two had a combined 9,000 flying hours between them.
Mr. Sabharwal had 22 years of experience as a commercial pilot.
In a background story about Sabharwal in the Times Of India, he’s described by fellow pilots as “a very quiet diligent man,” who always “kept his head down and did his work.”
The article says Sabharwal logged more than 8,200 hours in the cockpit, but that the actual number of hours he’s flown was probably greater than that.
“Clive Kundar was my Uncle’s son”: Indian actor causes a stir with post about ‘cousin’
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Reports in the Hindustan Times, meanwhile, say the co-pilot, First Officer Clive Kundar, had logged 1,100 flight hours.
Mr. Kundar’s relation to Bollywood TV and film star Vikrant Massey has been a point of discussion online, according to reports on New Delhi TV.
NDTV says the actor posted a note on his social media account to support the victims of the crash, and mentioned Clive Kundar as “my uncle’s son.”
Soon enough, headlines began popping up about Vikrant Massey’s ‘cousin,’ Clive Kundar, the co-pilot of the ill- fated flight.
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"Dear friends in the media and elsewhere, the unfortunately deceased Mr. Clive Kunder was NOT my cousin. The Kunder's are our family friends. Request no more speculations and let the family and loved ones grieve in peace,” he said.
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Only one person onboard the plane survived the ordeal, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who happened to be seated in an exit row.
When emergency crews reached the scene, they told the Associated Press that Ramesh “was disoriented with multiple injuries all over his body.”
Video online appears to show him leaving the scene with blood on the back of his white shirt, waving off people asking questions, as he walks towards a waiting ambulance.
He told the media right after the crash that everyone around him was “either lifeless or passing away.”
In interviews, Ramesh said it was after the plane hit the ground that he realized he was still alive. He described seeing an opening in the fuselage near his seat. Then, instinct took over.
“I managed to unbuckle myself. I used my leg to push through that opening and crawled out,” he said.
“I don’t know how I survived. I saw people dy*ng in front of my eyes, and I walked out of the rubble,” he added.
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Before any conclusions are made as to the cause of the crash, netizens are coming up with their own ideas.
Some people are questioning the pilot. “How did he have time to put out a mayday call. Surely there was other vital things they should be trying rather than a mayday call,” one person asked.
Another implied he overcompensated for a heavy load: “He over reached to performance of the engines which at full thrust didn't have the ability to create the air speed needed, it was pilot error.”
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A few netizens are urging restraint: “Can we please just wait for the true experts to determine the true cause of this tragedy before making insensitive and horrible comments?”
The Times Of India has said that it could take up to one year before an official report is released.
Netizens comment on the final words uttered by the pilot of Air India AI171
