A haunting simulation of the fatal Air India crash reveals how the pilot may have saved thousands of people with his heroic final act.
The devastating crash occurred on July 12, when Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, took off from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick.
Just moments after liftoff, the aircraft lost power and plunged into a hostel building at BJ Medical College in Meghani Nagar.
The crash claimed the lives of 241 out of the 242 people on board. The sole survivor was a British passenger, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was seated in 11A.
It was reported that Captain Sabharwal, who had logged over 8,200 flight hours, and First Officer Clive Kunder issued a mayday call almost immediately after takeoff. But less than a minute into the journey, the aircraft crashed, erupting into flames.
Now, a simulation posted by the YouTube account @aircrashsimulation has visualized those final moments.
According to the clip, the aircraft “initiated rotation at approximately 1,860 metres and lifted off around 2,460 metres down the runway,” before losing power at an altitude of about 625 feet.
The simulation shows the plane descending rapidly - at a rate of 1,300 metres per minute - heading directly toward the Medical and Civil Hospital complex before ultimately crashing at an "estimated ground speed of 160 knots".
While the crash resulted in 270 fatalities, including those on board and on the ground, experts and observers believe it could have been far worse if not for the pilots' actions.
Online speculation, fueled by aviation observers and social media users, suggests that Sabharwal and Kunder may have intentionally steered the failing aircraft away from densely populated areas during its final descent.
Though the aircraft slammed into a hostel near the medical college, just 400 meters north is Civil Hospital Ahmedabad - a facility with over 3,000 beds.
South of the crash site is a tightly packed residential area near the airport wall. Nearby Asarva is home to over 5,000 residents.
“They crashed in a loosely populated zone surrounded by densely populated ones. It seems deliberate," the Daily Star reported.
The crash has already revealed heartbreaking stories among the victims. One of the passengers, Arjun Patoliya, was a father of two traveling to fulfill his late wife Bharti’s dying wish - scattering her ashes in her native Gujarat.
Bharti had died of cancer just two weeks earlier. Their two daughters, aged four and eight, are now orphaned.
In another tragic detail, couple Fiongal Greenlaw and Jamie Meek shared a video from the cabin just minutes before takeoff, unaware of the catastrophe to come.
While official conclusions are still pending, India’s Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, confirmed the aircraft’s black box was recovered the following day, calling it “an important step forward in the investigation.” He noted the data would be “crucial in aiding the inquiry".
Our thoughts continue to be with the families of all the victims.