The Tragic Air India Crash

Written by: Keya Gambhir

Last week a very sad accident happened in India. An Air India airplane a Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed just seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad airport. The plane was heading to London with 242 people on board. Sadly 270 people died in the crash, all but one passenger.

What Happened?

The plane took off and quickly began to lose height. It never climbed higher than about 650 feet before it crashed into buildings near the airport including a medical college. The crash caused a huge fire and many victims were hurt badly.

The pilots had many years of experience. The captain Sumeet Sabharwal was 55 and thinking about retiring soon to care for his elderly father. The co-pilot Clive Kunder was 32 and still early in his career. Both had families connected to aviation. Unfortunately the pilots had almost no time to control the plane once it started going down.

How Are Families Coping?

Rescue workers and doctors have been working hard to identify the victims. Because the fire damaged many bodies officials are using dental records and DNA tests to help return remains to the families. Many relatives are waiting anxiously at hospitals for news.

The loss has deeply affected people at the nearby medical college and in the community. Doctors and students there have lost friends and colleagues in the crash which has been very hard on everyone.

India’s Government Responds

After the crash India’s government began urgently inspecting all Boeing 787 planes in the country 34 in total including 33 with Air India and one with another airline. These inspections check important parts like the engines takeoff controls and why the landing gear stayed down after takeoff which is unusual.

The aviation minister said these inspections are happening very quickly and that the planes have not been grounded yet but grounding is being considered. The government is investigating all possible causes including mechanical problems human error or a combination of both.

A panel of experts is looking into the crash and expects to release a report within three months. The goal is to understand what happened and improve airplane safety so this kind of accident does not happen again.

What Is a Boeing 787 Dreamliner?

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a modern long distance airplane used by many airlines worldwide. It is known for being fuel efficient and comfortable. This accident was one of the worst airplane crashes in the world in the last ten years.

What Can We Learn?

Flying is very safe overall but accidents like this remind us how important it is for experts to check and improve airplanes and pilot training. Black boxes special devices that record flight information and cockpit sounds will help investigators learn exactly what happened during the crash.