Air India Crash: Sole Survivor Feared for His Life During Tragic Incident

The only known survivor of the Air India crash, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, says he believed he was going to die in the moments before the aircraft went down in western India. Ramesh, a British national, miraculously escaped the wreckage of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday.

The flight, AI171, was bound for London Gatwick and had 242 people on board — 229 passengers and 12 crew members. The passenger manifest included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. Tragically, Ramesh was the sole survivor of the accident.

“I still can’t believe I survived,” he said from his hospital bed, speaking with NDTV. “I thought I was going to die. But then I opened my eyes.”

According to doctors treating him, Ramesh suffered multiple injuries and was disoriented when he arrived at the hospital, but he is expected to make a full recovery. “He has injuries all over his body, but he seems to be out of danger,” said one attending physician.

Sole Survivor of Air India Crash Thought He Was Going to Die

The aircraft crashed into a residential complex housing a doctors’ hostel, barely moments after taking off. Senior Ahmedabad police officer Vidhi Chaudhary said Ramesh had been seated in seat 11A, next to an emergency exit, which may have played a crucial role in his survival. “He managed to escape by jumping out the emergency door,” Chaudhary confirmed.

Ramesh described the harrowing moments leading up to the crash. “Within the first mile after take-off, it felt like the plane was stuck,” he said. “It was like something had happened. Then a green and white light came on inside the cabin.”

He recalled that the aircraft appeared to struggle as the pilot attempted to push it forward. “But it just wasn’t lifting properly. Then suddenly, the plane went straight into a building,” he said.

By what he calls a stroke of luck, the part of the plane where he landed was not near the hostel building, which took the brunt of the impact. “As soon as the plane door broke, I saw it was open on my side. I realized I had a chance to get out.”

He used the seatbelt located beneath his seat to pull himself out, despite his injuries. “I pulled the belt from under my seat and tried to escape. Then I managed to do it,” he recounted.

In the chaotic aftermath, Ramesh was surrounded by destruction and the bodies of fellow passengers. “It all happened so quickly. When I stood up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I just ran. There were pieces of the plane everywhere.”

Someone eventually found him and rushed him to the hospital in an ambulance. From there, he made a video call to his father, confirming he had survived the crash. His brother Nayan, speaking from Leicester in the UK, recalled that moment.

“He video-called my dad right after the crash and said, ‘The plane has crashed. I don’t know where my brother is. I don’t see any other passengers. I don’t even know how I’m alive or how I got out,’” Nayan said.

Nayan also revealed that their father had spoken to Vishwash shortly before takeoff. “My dad called him while he was still on the runway,” he said. “Vishwash told him, ‘We’re going to take off soon.’ That was the last we heard from him before the crash.”

Adding to the family’s anguish, Vishwash was traveling with his brother, Ajay, who has not been accounted for. “He was seated in a different row. I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him,” Vishwash pleaded in an interview with the Hindustan Times.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Vishwash in hospital, offering personal support and condolences in the wake of the tragedy.

Air India has confirmed the deaths of 241 people on board, including all 12 crew members, but officials have yet to determine the full toll on the ground. Rescue efforts are ongoing in the residential area that was hit by the plane, and authorities say they will release further updates as more information becomes available.

The crash has shocked the global aviation community and devastated families across several countries. As investigators begin the difficult work of piecing together what went wrong, the story of Vishwash Kumar Ramesh stands out as a rare miracle amid the heartbreak — a lone survivor who lived to tell the tale.