Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, ended in tragedy this week on June 12, 2025. Just short moments after takeoff, the flight from Ahmedabad to London-Gatwick crashed into a medical hostel, ending the lives of 241 people on board along with many more on the ground.

The flight to London had lost power as well as contact to surrounding air control only 2 minutes into their journey. Witnesses recall hearing a loud bang before watching a rolling ball of black smoke ascent into the air as the plane hit the ground. The building that caught immediate impact from this aircraft was a hostel near B.J. Medical College.

Through all of this tragedy, one miracle arose. 1 singular survivor. A man named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 34 year old English native, was thrown out of the plane through the emergency exit and has walked away with only minor injuries. His seat, 11A. Among the 241 passengers killed, there has been a reported 28 others. The search is ongoing.

While there have been other plane crashes reported throughout the years, this is the first crash involving a Boeing Dreamliner 787. An immediate investigation by the Indian Aviation Authorities has begun as they try to figure out the exact cause. Both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder have been recovered and are being investigated. It has been reported that a possible main threat could have been a flap failure or a major engine malfunction, although nothing has been confirmed. A safety inspection has been ordered for all Dreamliner aircrafts in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken out, calling the crash a “national tragedy”. Many United Kingdom and United States leaders have expressed their sorrows as well. Air India is reportedly issuing a 1 crore, or $120,000, to each of the victims families in order to give support.

An investigation is ongoing as the world awaits its answers to feel safe enough to fly again.