The London-bound Air India aircraft which crashed in Ahmedabad today was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a veteran pilot who had a flight experience of 8200 hours.
Ahmedabad plane crash: A London-bound Air India flight with 242 passengers, including former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, crashed shortly after take off in Meghaninagar area near the Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat on Thursday. The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a veteran pilot who had a flight experience of 8200 hours, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
“Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience, while his copilot, First Officer Clive Kundar, had 1100 hours of flying experience,” the DGCA said.
Giving details, the DGCA said that an Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London, crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad. “There were 242 people on board the aircraft, consisting of 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew. The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar,” the civil aviation watchdog said in a statement.
How Ahmedabad plane crash unfolded?
According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from Runway 23, and gave a mayday call to the ATC. But after than, there was no response by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC, they said.
The ill-fated flight flew for around nine minutes before crashing into a nearby building and bursting into flames, as per media reports. The aircraft had only reached a height of about 600 feet before it crashed. The debris of the crashed aircraft scattered over nearby buildings and cars, sparking fires.
“Almost immediately after departure from Runway 23, the aircraft crashed on the the ground outside the airport perimeter, and plumes of heavy black smoke were seen coming from the crash site”, officials said.
Who were the other crew members of Air India flight AI-171?
According to authorities, apart from Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, there were 10 crew members aboard the Air India aircraft, nine of whom have been identified as Aparna Mahadik, Shraddha Dhawan, Sainita Chakraborty, Maithali Patil, Manisha Thapa, Roshni Rajendra Songhare, Naganthoi Sharma Kongbrelatpam, Deepak Pathak and Irfan Sheikh.
About the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad
The ill-fated Air India aircraft that crashed in Ahmedabad with 242 passengers and crew members onboard, was a Boeing B787 Aircraft VT-ANB– an aircraft designed for long-distance flights by American aerospace manufacturer Boeing. The B787 aircraft is built from composite metals, which makes it lightweight, and also has a lower fuel consumption, making it perfect for long flights.
The plane that crashed in Ahmedabad was 11 years old, and seated 200-300 passengers, and had maximum range of up to 8,500 nautical miles.
