An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport killing all 242 people aboard in what marks the first fatal accident involving the aircraft type since its introduction in 2011.
The aircraft, registration VT-ANB, was operating as Flight AI171 bound for London Gatwick when it went down in the Meghaninagar area at approximately 1:39 PM local time. The crash represents the deadliest aviation disaster in the Boeing 787’s operational history.
Among the fatalities were 230 passengers and 12 crew members. The passenger manifest included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian citizen, according to preliminary reports from Air India officials.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which entered commercial service in 2011, had maintained an unblemished safety record until Friday’s tragedy.
The wide-body aircraft is considered one of the most advanced commercial jets in operation, featuring composite construction and advanced safety systems.
According to data from flight tracking services, the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 630 feet and was traveling at a ground speed of 175 knots (approximately 324 kilometers per hour) before it began descending.
Flight analysis reveals the aircraft was in a nose-up pitch of about 41 degrees with wings level when it collided with a building. The impact caused a massive fire, engulfing the wreckage in flames.
The plane crashed into a hostel building for doctors, located roughly 1.4 kilometers southwest of the runway’s end. The hostel was home to several MBBS students; five of them have been confirmed dead following the accident.
Live video footage showed the aircraft’s twin General Electric GEnx-1B67 engines audibly throttling back to idle just moments before the fatal descent began.
Both engines appeared to be producing significantly reduced thrust, prompting early speculation about a potential dual engine failure or an unintentional idle thrust condition.
As of September 2024, the aircraft had logged 38,268 flight hours over 7,223 cycles, making it one of the oldest Boeing 787 Dreamliners still in service with Air India.
