Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the main pilot of Air India Flight 171, is now being remembered as a hero after latest information suggests he tried everything in his power to guide his failing aircraft away from a densely populated residential area in the final moments of his life.
The plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, shortly after takeoff last Thursday (June 12), ending the lives of at least 270 people.
Investigators have concluded that the aircraft was in a state of severe disrepair, with minimal maintenance leading to multiple critical failures—including malfunctioning electronics, and landing gear that failed to retract.
Minutes after takeoff, Captain Sabharwal issued a Mayday call informing that the plane had lost its ability to lift and was losing altitude rapidly.
The captain of the ill-fated plane that claimed 270 lives tried to steer it away from a residential area moments before the crash
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Sabharwal, a veteran pilot with over 8,200 hours of flight experience, tried desperately to steer the aircraft away from medical college and civil hospital, as well as a nearby street lined with residential apartment blocks.
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The plane ultimately crashed into a student dormitory and ended the lives of at least 30 people on the ground, mostly students. Faced with a lose-lose situation, the pilot decided to avoid a direct hit on homes, which would have resulted in an even more catastrophic loss of life.
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“Thanks to the pilot Captain Sabharwal, we survived. He’s a hero. It is because of him we are alive,” said 28-year-old Jahanvi Rajput, a resident of the apartment complex spared in the crash.
“If the plane had crashed into this residential area, there would have been hundreds more victims,” added Chancal Bai, a mother of two.
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On the other hand, many netizens were skeptical about the framing of the pilot’s actions as an heroic act.
“How do they know he was gliding away? It sounds like they are trying to make some good out of something bad,” a user wrote.
“Yeah, except for the fact that, by the pilots own radio transmissions we know that they had no control over the plane. So he did nothing to keep it in the air any longer, and crashed it into a building full of doctors,” another added.
The captain was a beloved and respected member of his community
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Tragically for his family, this was meant to be one of Captain Sabharwal’s last flights. According to his 82-year-old father, the veteran had told him mere days earlier that he intended to quit flying to take care of him full time.
The captain’s father, a former official in India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, was said to be inconsolable.
“Whenever he flew out, Sumeet would ask us to keep an eye on his father. He has now been left devastated,” neighbors told local media.
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The loss has deeply affected residents of the Powai community, where Sabharwal lived with his family.
“When society members learned about his passing yesterday, we all went into shock,” said family friend Wing Commander Sanjay Pai. “Many people came to meet his family. It is hard to believe he is gone.”
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Rescue teams recovered around 270 bodies from the crash site. Images from the scene show the wreckage scattered across the hospital grounds, with parts of the fuselage piercing walls and landing gear embedded in buildings.
Among the devastation, a single life was spared: 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, whose testimony would become crucial in determining what happened in the moments leading up to the crash.
Authorities are investigating Air India’s fleet for signs of disrepair and lack of maintenance
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Vishwash was seated in 11A—right next to what he says may have been a critical failure point. The door next to his seat blew off during its final descent.
“I managed to unbuckle myself. I used my leg to push through that opening and crawled out,” he told local media from his hospital bed, the shock of his harrowing experience still present in his voice.
“I still don’t understand how I escaped. I saw people losing their lives in front of my eyes—the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me.”
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According to reports, concerns about the aircraft’s condition emerged even before takeoff. A video posted by a passenger named Akash Vatsa showed technical malfunctions inside the cabin.
“AC is not working at all. And as usual, the TV screens are not working. Not even the light is working,” Vatsa said in the video, showing how passengers had resorted to fanning themselves with magazines as a result.
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What might’ve initially appeared to be minor issues have, to some observers, revealed deeper systemic problems with the aircraft’s overall condition. Authorities are now conducting a probe into Air India.
Image credits: Saurabh Sirohiya/NurPhoto/Getty Images
The compounding evidence has led to a full round of inspections across the company’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleets. This includes pre-departure takeoff parameter checks, flight control inspections, and engine power verification.
According to reports, eight aircraft have been examined as of Saturday.
“He did what he could.” Netizens took to social media to argue about the tragedy
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