A small but significant detail revealed by the sole survivor of the Air India crash may hold the key to understanding why the flight ended in tragedy.
On June 12, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad bound for London Gatwick.
Less than a minute into the flight, the aircraft crashed into residential buildings near the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital, killing nearly everyone onboard, including 53 British nationals, 169 Indian nationals, and several others from Portugal and Canada, as well as dozens on the ground.
But one man named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh survived the tragedy.
Ramesh, 40, from Leicester, was seated in 11A - right next to the emergency door - when the plane struck a medical student hostel and exploded. Somehow, he escaped.
“I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me […] I walked out of the rubble,” he said from his hospital bed.
Investigators now believe that seat 11A may have saved him. A video shows a small object - possibly the emergency door - shooting out from the fuselage just before the fireball. Experts say the door may have blown off on impact, creating a narrow, split-second escape route.
“At first, I thought I was dead. Later, I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage,” Vishwash recalled. “I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening, and crawled out.”
Bloodied and dazed, he was filmed staggering through the wreckage before being bundled into an ambulance. His brother Ajay, who was also on the flight, didn’t make it.
Vishwash has no idea how he survived, but he does remember a detail that investigators now see as crucial.
“Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white,” he said, per News.com.au. “The aircraft wasn’t gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.”
That strange flickering, combined with previous reports from passengers about malfunctioning seat screens, has led experts to suggest a potential electrical fault, possibly a full power failure.
Theories under investigation include mechanical failure, engine thrust issues, flap or gear malfunctions, bird strike, and pilot error.
India's civil aviation minister confirmed that the plane’s black boxes have been recovered and are being analyzed. A team of British aviation experts has joined the investigation, expected to take at least three months.
The tragedy has triggered sweeping actions. India’s aviation regulator has ordered immediate safety checks across Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet. And now the focus is on determining whether this crash was an avoidable disaster or a catastrophic systems failure.
Air India’s CEO, Campbell Wilson, said the airline is devastated and committed to supporting affected families. “Air India will continue to do everything it can to care for those affected by this tragedy and to uphold the trust placed in us.”
Compensation of over ₹1.25 crore (approximately $133,000 USD) has been pledged for each victim, and the same amount for Vishwash. A ₹25 lakh ($21,000 USD) interim payment is also being processed for immediate support.
“The process of reuniting next of kin with their loved ones and personal effects has begun,” Wilson said. “Our teams are working closely with the families and the authorities to help the reunification process and, where appropriate, with repatriation.”
Grief-stricken families are still waiting to claim bodies from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, where a painstaking DNA-matching process is underway.
“Even yesterday, when I was sitting outside the postmortem block, I could smell the stench of charred bodies from inside,” Anil Patel, who lost his son and daughter-in-law, said. “I just can’t bear the thought," cited by The Guardian.
Over 100 caregivers and 40 engineers have been deployed, and support centers have opened across India and London to assist families.
Dr Gameti at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital confirmed Vishwash is expected to be discharged soon. “He is doing very well,” the doctor said.
The sole survivor is recovering physically, but emotionally, his journey is just beginning. “My treatment is going well, and the people are very supportive,” he said.