Pilot’s Final Vow to Father Revealed Amid Shocking Air India Tragedy—What Went Wrong?

Captain Sumeer Sabharwal promised his aging father he’d take a break from the skies — just days before fate played its cruel hand. Picture this: an experienced Indian pilot at the helm of Air India Flight AI171, destined for London Gatwick, carrying 242 souls, including 53 Brits — and then tragedy struck almost immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummeted into a residential area, leaving a trail of heartbreak and confusion, with only a single miraculous survivor clinging to life in seat 11A. How does one even begin to unpack the whirlwind of emotions — the promise, the hope, the loss — tangled up in those final moments? It’s a harrowing story that shook the aviation world and left many questioning: can a split-second decision change everything? LEARN MORE

Captain Sumeer Sabharwal made a promise to his father just days before the tragic accident.

The Indian pilot was manning the cockpit of the doomed Air India flight, which was carrying 242 passengers, including 53 Brits, when it took off.

Sabharwal was one of the people onboard who didn’t make it, after flight AI171 crashed into a residential area about a minute after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, India.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was bound for London Gatwick, before Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder took off from the western India airport.

But unfortunately, there was only one survivor from the crash, as it was reported that the man in 11A, a British national, miraculously came away with his life.

The crash shook the aviation world (X)

What we know about the Air India crash

Air India Flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad on Thursday 12 June, bound for the British capital.

Just a minute after leaving the runway, though, a Mayday call was issued by the pilots as the signal was lost at an altitude of 625.

The plane started to descend rapidly, crashing into the BJ Medical College UG hostel in Meghani Nagar, Ahmedabad, at 13.38 local time.

Following the crash, it was confirmed that the accommodation was housing doctors, and that the crash left 50 medical students injured but stable.

Four to five students were reported missing, while two to three were in critical condition in HDU/ICU, said the Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA).

While authorities initially reported that there appeared to be ‘no survivors’ from the 242 onboard, Air India revealed that a British national named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the sole survivor of the tragic accident.

They said: “The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national.”

The 40-year-old was sat in seat 11A, and has been left with injuries on his chest, eyes, and feet.

Sabharwal was the captain of the Air India flight (Family Handout)

The pilot’s final words

Sabharwal’s harrowing final words were revealed after one of the two black boxes had been found.

The pilot warned that they were ‘losing power’ on the flight, report the London Evening Standard.

Sabharwal and Kunder called out for ‘mayday’ as they failed to complete their full ascent.

The former also said there was ‘no thrust’, struggling to lift the plane while just a few hundred feet in the air, as the aircraft lost contact within a minute of disembarking.

Cockpit recordings on the black boxes could help authorities find out more about what happened.

Sabharwal’s tragic final promise

The captain made a heartbreaking promise to his ageing father days before the flight.

Sabharwal, who has over 8,200 hours of experience, was said to have spoken to his 82-year-old father on the phone just a week prior to the crash.

Indian politician Dilip Nana Lande, of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, claimed that the pilot called his dad, who lives in a care home, promising to take a step back from work in the near future.

“A few days ago, he promised to take a break to spend time with his father,” he shared.

The Times of India reported that his father is said to be a former official with India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.