Air India Crash: Delhi Passenger Flags Malfunctions Hours Before Tragedy

In a shocking revelation that could deepen scrutiny into Thursday’s Air India Flight AI171 crash, a passenger who flew on the same Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner just hours earlier has claimed the aircraft showed multiple technical malfunctions during his journey.

Akash Vatsa, a user on X (formerly Twitter), posted that he had flown from Delhi to Ahmedabad on the exact aircraft involved in the tragedy—just two hours before it departed for London Gatwick and crashed.

“I was in the same damn flight 2 hours before it took off from AMD... Noticed unusual things in the plane. Made a video to tweet to @airindia,” Vatsa wrote, sharing videos showing non-functional air conditioning, unresponsive seat buttons, and faulty entertainment screens.

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The aircraft, carrying 242 people — including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals, and 1 Canadian — took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 PM and crashed within minutes, reaching only 825 feet before a rapid descent. The crash site, located in the Meghaninagar IGP Complex area, turned into a zone of chaos and emergency response.

Air India Crash Investigation Intensifies

Air India confirmed the crash and said it is fully cooperating with the DGCA, AAIB, and Ministry of Civil Aviation. A dedicated helpline number (1800 5691 444) has been set up for families of those onboard.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has activated a control room, and a full-scale investigation is underway to determine whether a technical lapse could have contributed to the crash. The claim by Vatsa has since gone viral, raising critical questions about aircraft maintenance, safety protocols, and pre-flight inspections.

Leaders React as World Watches

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words”, expressing solidarity with the victims and their families. “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us,” he said in an official statement.

Condolences have also poured in from across the world, including messages from leaders in the UK, European Union, Israel, and the Maldives, all expressing support and mourning the lives lost or affected.

Also Read: Live | AIR INDIA FLIGHT CRASH: DGCA, AI Issues Statement