A Boeing jet crashed moments after takeoff in India on Friday, killing everyone aboard.
The Air India jet was bound for London and took off from Ahmedabad in northwest India.
Air India Flight 171 carried 242 passengers and crew. Air India said the victims included 169 Indian citizens, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian, according to the Associated Press
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the Directorate of Civil Aviation, said the plane that crashed was a Boeing 787-8.
WARNING: The following video shows images a plane crash that some will find disturbing.
WATCH: Air India plane carrying 242 people crashes in Ahmedabad while taking off for flight to London pic.twitter.com/KyLVZaV6i7
— BNO News (@BNONews) June 12, 2025
The plane crashed into a residential area five minutes after taking off. Initial reports said it landed on a dormitory where medical students lived.
“When we went out to see what had happened, there was a layer of thick smoke in the air. When we came here, dead bodies and debris from the crashed aircraft were scattered all over,” the BBC quoted one unnamed witness as saying.
Photo of the tail sticking out of where it crashed Air India flight. pic.twitter.com/PouIqLvVlz
— DJE MEDIA (@DJEMEDIA_) June 12, 2025
Other witnesses said the plane crashed into a multi-story building and that individuals were seen jumping from the third floor after the crash in an attempt to reach safety
“The plane was in flames,” another witness said.
“We helped people get out of the building and sent the injured to the hospital,” the witness said.
#BREAKING: AIR INDIA FLIGHT #AI171 CRASHES IN AHMEDABAD SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF
Following reports of a crash involving Air India flight #AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (reg: VT-ANB) lost signal at 08:08:51 UTC, just seconds after takeoff.… pic.twitter.com/RKFhipU1ll— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) June 12, 2025
The New York Times noted that this was the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, noting, however, that the plane has been under scrutiny.
Boeing said that it was aware of the crash on the Air India flight and was “working to gather more information.”
About 1,100 Dreamliners are in use. Citing data from Cirium, the Times reported that the Air India jet that crashed was built in 2013.
Dreamliner production had been stalled after what the Times reported were “quality concerns that included filling paper-thin gaps in the plane’s body and replacing certain titanium parts that were made with the wrong material.”
We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected. pic.twitter.com/kYrdKyvl7z
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) June 12, 2025
Boeing maintained that none of those issues compromised safety.
Allegations have also been made to the Federal Aviation Administration that some parts of the planes are improperly assembled. Boeing has said the claims are groundless.
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