What happened to Air India flight 171?
Air India Flight 171 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Air India from Ahmedabad Airport, India to London Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom. On 12 June 2025, at 13:38 IST, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating the flight crashed into the hostel block of BJ Medical College in Meghnanagar neighborhood of Ahmedabad, about 30 seconds after take off.
All but one passenger and 12 crew members on board were killed in the crash. At least 38 people on the ground were killed as well. The first fatal crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since its introduction in 2011
Records show that Air India started operating routes from Gatwick in 2013. At the time of the accident, they operated twelve departures a week, five of which were to Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad airport is also surrounded by dense residential areas.
Passengers and crew
The flight was carrying 230 passengers – including 11 children and 2 infants – and 242 people, including 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew. The passenger manifest included 169 Indians, 53 British, 7 Portuguese and one Canadian. The flight was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder Accident.
Accident
Flight 171 departed from Runway 23 at Ahmedabad Airport at 13:38 local time ( IST ; 08:08 UTC ) en route to London Gatwick . According to METAR reports , the weather was stable and visibility was clear. The aircraft’s ADS-B transponder reported a maximum pressure altitude of 625 feet (191 m). Transponder reception was lost at 08:08:50 UTC at 230 feet (70 m) before the approach to Runway 05. The flight crew issued a Mayday call , reporting a loss of power and thrust shortly after takeoff. The aircraft initially appeared to gain altitude and gradually descend, but then appeared to be climbing, then, out of line-of-sight, crashed thirty seconds after takeoff, followed by flames and smoke. The crash site was located 1.5 km from the runway.
Eyewitnesses from the Meghninagar area reported multiple explosions and thick plumes of smoke as the plane hit a building and skidded. The plane crashed into a residential area on the Civil Hospital campus, hitting the doctors’ quarters and students’ hostel buildings of the hospital’s B.J. Medical College. The plane’s partially intact stabilizers and tail cone rested on top of a multi-storey hostel building.
This was the first fatal loss to Air India since the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985.