Air travel is one of the safest ways to travel, but when worst‑case scenarios hit, survival seems almost impossible.
That’s what makes the story of Vishwashkumar Ramesh so remarkable – he is the sole survivor of the deadly Air India crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 241 lives.
The odds of surviving a plane crash – Meet Vishwashkumar Ramesh
Vishwashkumar, a 40‑year‑old British citizen based in London for the past 20 years, was on board returning to the UK with his brother after visiting family in India.
He had settled into seat 11A on Flight AI171, destined for London’s Gatwick Airport. Their journey had included a visit to Diu, a quiet coastal area in India.
Less than a minute after take‑off from Ahmedabad’s airport, the plane lost height and plowed into a residential area in a dramatic crash and fireball.
Amid the wreckage and tragedy, Vishwashkumar somehow survived.
He later told HT what happened next:
“Thirty seconds after take‑off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran… Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
His brother, 45‑year‑old Ajay Kumar Ramesh, was seated a few rows away. Tragically, Ajay did not survive the crash. Vishwashkumar lost contact with him in the aftermath.
Vishwashkumar’s wife and child are waiting back in London as he remains in hospital, recovering from his injuries. His survival, by sheer chance, points to unpredictable and sometimes miraculous outcomes in disasters of this kind.
Air India plane crash latest news
Investigators have found the aircraft’s black box—the sturdy flight recorder that logs key information such as altitude, speed, cockpit sounds, and crew conversations—within 28 hours of the crash.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) hopes this vital device will offer clues into what went wrong so suddenly and disastrously.
It carried both the flight data recorder, which tracks technical data, and the cockpit voice recorder, which captures pilots’ communications and cockpit sounds.
Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said the black box will “significantly aid the inquiry” and mark a major step forward in understanding the cause of the crash.
The inquiry is being headed by AAIB, with expert support from the UK and US. This includes Boeing, which has confirmed its full cooperation.
Officials are paying special attention to the Dreamliner’s engine, flaps, and landing gear. These components play crucial roles in flight control during take‑off and are often focal points in crash investigations.
By Friday, the charred remains of the Dreamliner were still strewn across the crash site. Teams cordoned off the area as investigators began scouring the wreckage for clues. Authorities are identifying victims through DNA, releasing at least six bodies to grieving families after confirmation through facial recognition or genetic testing.
Vishwashkumar remains in hospital under medical supervision. While his physical recovery is underway, experts note the emotional and psychological challenges of surviving such a catastrophe.
