An aviation expert believes he knows the ‘simple’ reason why the Air India plane on the way to London Gatwick crashed, causing 241 of the 242 people onboard to die.

On Thursday (June 12), a passenger plane bound for the UK capital plummeted to the ground shortly after taking off in Ahmedabad, western India, at 13:39 local time.

Air India has stated that the doomed Flight AI171 departed from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

60-year-old Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and his co-pilot Clive Kundar were in the cockpit. The former was reportedly extremely experienced, having clocked up over 8,000 flying hours during his 22-year tenure as a pilot.

It’s understood that a mayday call was made by Captain Sabharwal from the Air India cockpit almost immediately after takeoff.

“Mayday […] no thrust, losing power, unable to lift,” authorities claim the emergency message said.

After reaching a height of around 625 feet, the Air India flight descended from the sky and hit the ground in a massive explosion.

In harrowing video footage, a plume of smoke from the plane’s impact could be seen rising into the sky.

India’s Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah said the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was carrying 100 tonnes of fuel – almost a full load – and that 242 passengers and crew members were on board.

241 people onboard the aircraft (including crew members and passengers), have died (Indian Home Minister Amit Shah via X)

These comprised: 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national, and seven Portuguese nationals.

40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British man, has been named as the sole survivor of the Air India crash.

A senior health official has since stated that eight local people on the ground, including four medical students, were also killed in the tragedy.

An investigation has been launched into what caused the tragedy, but one aviation expert has detailed what he thinks happened.

Captain Steve, a commercial airline pilot and YouTuber, claimed that a simple error in the plane’s cockpit could have caused the aircraft to crash.

“Here’s what I think happened, again folks this is just my opinion…I think the pilot flying said to the co-pilot said ‘gear up’ at the appropriate time,” he began.

“I think the co-pilot grabbed the flap handle and raised the flaps, instead of the gear. If that happened – and this is a big if – this explains a lot of why this airplane stopped flying.”

According to the content creator, if the plane’s flaps were raised, this would have caused the flight to lose airspeed and altitude rapidly.

However, Steve added that at this stage, it was ‘impossible’ to know whether or not the flaps were up or out.

Captain Steve has discussed what he believed happened amid the tragedy (YouTube/Captain Steeeve)

Therefore, due to how quickly the plane would have plummeted, it could have been extremely difficult for pilots on board to deal with and ‘recover from’, Steve explained.

Usually, the 787’s composite wings would bend during takeoff as lift forces took it into the air, he said.

However, as the Air India plane apparently showed no sign of bending, this has prompted speculation that the flaps had accidentally been retracted, causing the plane to stop flying, Steve claims.

Meanwhile, former British Airways pilot Alastair Rosenschein has said a series of ‘clear issues’ could have contributed to the plane failing to take off properly from the Indian runway.

“It’s clearly got its [landing] gear down and that is not correct… it should have been up. And from the video… It’s not immensely clear… but it does look like the aircraft didn’t have its take-off flap setting,” he told Sky News after analyzing video footage.

Like Captain Steve, Rosenschein remarked that the plane flap setting didn’t ‘look right’ and that it looked as if an ‘aerodynamic issue’ was the cause of the devastation.

Ramesh, who was sitting in seat 11a on the plane, has recently recalled how the plane went down, detailing how he managed to get out of the wreckage.

Speaking from his hospital bed in Asarwa, Ahmedabad, the crash survivor said: “Thirty seconds after takeoff there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.

A 40-year-old British man is the sole survivor of the crash (DD India/YouTube)

“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”

Ramesh also told Indian state media DD News that he managed to unbuckle himself from his seat after the plane went down, using his leg to push through the debris and eventually crawl out.

Following the near-fatal flight, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a statement claiming the country is ‘devastated by the air tragedy’.

“The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words,” he added.

“Condolences to all the bereaved families. We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come. Om Shanti.”

The single survivor of the Air India plane crash was sitting in the same seat as a Thai singer who lived through his own devastating aircraft event almost three decades earlier.

On June 12, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick crashed just moments after take-off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and crew onboard.

Flight AI171, manned by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and his co-pilot Clive Kundar, lifted to a height of around 625 feet after its take-off at 13:39 local time.

However, it quickly dropped and crashed into buildings.

Authorities have since confirmed eight local people on the ground have been killed in the tragic accident, including four medical students.

The aircraft, which was set to land in the UK capital at 18:25 BST, was caught on video exploding, with a plume of smoke visibly rising from the crashed aircraft.

Police have confirmed 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, from Leicester, England, was the only person to survive the Air India jet’s crash and that the Brit was sat in seat 11a.

Following the devastating event, Ruangsak Loychusak, 47, has come forward – revealing he is also a plane crash survivor who once sat in seat 11A.

The Thai singer and actor, who has appeared on The Mask Singer and in various TV shows and films, was onboard Thai Airways International Flight 261, which stalled and crashed into a swamp during a landing attempt in December 1998.

Ruangsak Loychusak is also a plane crash survivor, with his tragic event taking place in 1998 (VIRAL PRESS)

The accident is considered the second-deadliest plane crash in Thailand, causing 101 fatalities. At the time, it was carrying 132 passengers and 14 crew members.

Loychusak, who was one of the 45 survivors, has recently spoken to the press about hearing that Ramesh was sitting in the same seat as him.

“The lone survivor of the plane crash in India was sitting in the same seat number as me, 11A,” he began.

“I want to offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the tragedy.”

For a decade, Loychusak admitted he found flying ‘difficult’ and that he ‘struggled breathing’ even if the air circulation onboard was deemed ‘normal’.

“I avoided speaking to anyone and always stared outside the window, blocking anyone from closing it to maintain my sense of safety,” the star recounted.

“If I saw dark clouds or a rainstorm outside, I would feel terrible, like I was in hell.

“I can still remember the sounds, smells, and even the taste of the water in the swamp the plane crashed into. For a long time, I would keep the feelings to myself.”

The airplane crash had an effect on the singer for a decade (VIRAL PRESS)

Ramesh has spoken at length about his experience onboard the crashed Air India flight, recalling from his hospital bed in Asarwa, Ahmedabad, how he managed to escape the wreckage.

“Thirty seconds after takeoff there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly,” he told the Hinustan Times.

“When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”

In an interview with Indian state media DD News, the father-of-one explained he’d managed to unbuckle himself from Seat 11A, using his leg to ‘push through’ and ‘crawl out’ of the debris.

“I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me,” he told the Indian broadcaster.

“For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too, but when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive.

“I still can’t believe how I survived. I walked out of the rubble.”

40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was sitting in Seat 11A on the Air India plane (DD India/YouTube)

An investigation into the Indian tragedy is ongoing, but it’s understood a mayday call was made from the aircraft’s cockpit just second after take-off.

“Mayday […] no thrust, losing power, unable to lift,” authorities claim the emergency message said.

Following the near-fatal flight, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a statement.

He remarked that the entirety of India was ‘devastated by the air tragedy’.

“The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words,” he added.

“Condolences to all the bereaved families. We understand their pain and also know that the void left behind will be felt for years to come. Om Shanti.”

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email info@grievewell.com

Police in India have confirmed one man has miraculously survived the tragic Air India plane crash which occurred earlier on Thursday (June 12).

Air India’s AI 171 flight was bound for London Gatwick, and was expected to touch down in the UK at 6:25 pm local time this evening.

However, the plane crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar after taking off from India’s Ahmedabad Airport.

Authorities have also confirmed that the aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel.

According to Air India, there were 242 on board the plane. The airline said: “Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals.”

While the police commissioner appeared to suggest at the time that there were no survivors, officials have since confirmed that one man had survived the crash.

The plane crashed a short while after takeoff (Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik told ANI: “The police found one survivor in seat 11A. One survivor has been found in the hospital and is under treatment.

“Cannot say anything about the number of deaths yet. The death toll may increase as the flight crashed in a residential area.”

The man has since been identified as British-Indian man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, and he’s been speaking to the local press about what happened.

Speaking to the Hindustan Times, Ramesh recalled hearing a ‘loud noise’ shortly after the plane took over.

“It all happened so quickly,” he said. “When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”

Ramesh was sat in 11A on the aircraft, while his brother – also on board – was seated in an entirely different row, Ramesh told the Hindustan Times.

The survivor has been speaking to the local press (Siddharaj Solanki/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Air India, has released a statement in recent hours, offering his condolences to those affected.

He said: “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India flight, AI171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event.

“At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.

“Further updates will be shared as we receive more verified information. An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families.”

Tata Group, which owns Air India, also released a statement credited to Chandrasekaran that it will be paying compensation to the families of everyone onboard, as well as covering medical expense for those injured.

It’s thought that the pilot of the ill-fated Air India flight may have made one last heroic act before the plane crashed.

On Thursday (June 12), an Air India flight that departed from Ahmedabad started experiencing difficulties shortly after taking off.

Less than a minute after leaving the runway, the plane, believed to be a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed and collided with a medical college hostel.

The ordeal has so far claimed the lives of 270 people, both from on the ground and those who were on the plane itself. Only one passenger onboard lived to tell the tale.

One person to have died in the heartbreaking crash is dad-of-two Arjun Patoliya.

Arjun had been traveling to India to fulfil his late wife Bharti’s final wish to have her ashes scattered in Gujarat. She had died two weeks earlier from cancer.

Now Arjun and Bharti’s four and eight-year-old daughters have been left orphaned.

Two young girls have been left without a mom and dad following Thursday’s crash (GoFundMe)

While the death toll is devastating, people have speculated that it could have been much worse had the pilot of the plane not crashed the aircraft where he did.

The Air India flight was being flown by Officer Clive Kunder and Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, both of whom had over 9,000 hours of flying experience between them, per LBC.

Just over 5km away from Ahmedabad airport is Civil Hospital Ahmedabad, a huge hospital that reportedly has over 3,000 beds in it.

But the pilot managed to avoid the hospital when it crashed, and some have suggested that he did this purposely to avoid additional casualties.

Discussing the matter on Reddit, one person penned: “Air India AI-171 crashed just 1.7 km from the Ahmedabad airport. It crashed in a somewhat loosely populated area which has doctor’s hostels and mess for medical students of BJMC and Civil Hospital Ahmedabad.”

All but one Air India passenger on the plane died (BASIT ZARGAR/Middle east images/AFP via Getty Images)

“Just 400 metres north of the crash site is a civil hospital and south just adjacent to the airport wall is a high-density residential area,” they went on, as per Daily Star.

Nearby is also the neighborhood of Asarva which, as of 2020, was home to 5,100 people. Had the plane crashed there, many more lives would have been lost.

There has been a lot of theories about what happened to the Air India flight that caused it to crash, but we won’t know any real answers until the aircraft’s black box is analyzed.

According to the BBC, the device was found on Friday (June 13). Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Minister of Civil Aviation of India, said finding the box marked ‘an important step forward in the investigation’ and that it would ‘significantly aid the inquiry’.