Flames Started, I Was Scared: Eyewitness Who Accidently Filmed Air India Plane Crashing In Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: A 17-year-old student, Aryan Asari accidentally filmed the final moments of Air India Flight AI‑171’s fatal crash in Ahmedabad last Thursday. He was on his terrace in Omkar Nagar at around noon, simply trying to capture planes flying low. Within 24 seconds of starting his video, the Boeing 787‑7 Dreamliner caught fire and crashed near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport, claiming the lives of around 270 people.

Aryan, who arrived in the area on the same day, said he began filming the aircraft after noticing it flying unusually low. “The plane was passing from very close, so I thought of shooting a video so I could show it to my friends,” the teen recalled. “I thought it was going to land as the airport was nearby. But then it went downwards, and flames started coming up.”

The aircraft plummeted at high speed before a sudden explosion, causing smoke and debris to rise into the atmosphere. Aryan said he was frightened by what he witnessed and immediately shared the footage with his sister and informed his father.

The video went viral worldwide, as it was one of the first footage of the crash. It has been handed over to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), who are using it to gain vital information about the reason behind the crash.

Flight AI-171 was scheduled to go from Ahmedabad International Airport to London Gatwick Airport. The plane had barely attained 625 feet in altitude, when it crashed into a hostel minutes later. Before this incident, the aircraft had completed a Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad route without any issues.

Investigations by the DCGA and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are underway, and the black box- a device which records all the flight data, crucial in an investigation like this, has been recovered from the debris.

Also Read: Pilot's Last Message To ATC Was MayDay Before Air India Plane Crashed In Ahmedabad