Over 290 killed as UK-bound Air India plane crashes into residential building: As it happened

The black box from the Air India aircraft that crashed in India’s Ahmedabad city on Thursday has been recovered from the rooftop of the medical hostel building the plane plummeted into, Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) confirmed on Friday. 

Earlier, the AAIB has launched a formal investigation  into the deadly crash of flight 171 that killed 241 of 242 people onboard and dozens on the ground, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated in a post on X.

The Indian government is establishing a high-level committee of people with expertise in multiple disciplines to examine the incident and identify ways to strengthen aviation safety and prevent such incidents in the future. The country’s  aviation regulator has asked Air India to carry out a set of maintenance actions on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft with immediate effect.

India’s aviation regulator has asked Air India to carry out a set of maintenance actions on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft with immediate effect, according to a notification. 

These include a review of all take-off parameters and aircraft checks over the last fortnight, the notification added. The regulator has not set a specific deadline for the submission of the information.

RT South Asia Editor Ashok Bagriya gives the latest updates from the plane crash cite in Ahmedabad. Earlier in the day, the area was visited by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took stock of the situation and met with relatives of the deceased and wounded in the local hospital.

The US is sending a team to help India investigate the June 12 Air India crash, according to reports. The group will consist of experts from the NTSB, FAA, Boeing, and GE Aerospace.

Some US officials believe that Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner planes may need to be grounded for safety reasons.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was quoted by The Hindu as saying that American experts needed to get on the ground and take a look.

“But again, right now it would be way too premature,” Duffy said, adding that analyzing video footage alone was “never a strong, smart way to make decisions.”

An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, flight AI-171, carrying 242 passengers and crew members en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12, 2025, after the pilot issued a mayday call to air traffic control. ©  Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images

The sole survivor of the June 12 Air India aircraft crash in Ahmedabad said he was lucky to come out alive. Within a minute of takeoff it felt like the plane got ‘stuck,’ Ramesh Vishwashkumar said, adding that the light turned from green to white. “There was a bit of space where I was sitting, and when the door was open, I saw that space and jumped out,” he added. 

The Air India plane crash could have been caused by a combination of factors, including mechanical issues, human error, and weather, with the landing gear reportedly still down after takeoff, commercial pilot Arindam Dutta told ANI news agency. 

Dutta said the plane, which was carrying a large amount of highly inflammable fuel, sank within 30-40 seconds, during which time the captain made a mayday call, suggesting that “something was going on in the cockpit.”

The anti-terrorism squad in Gujarat has retrieved a crucial piece of equipment from the wreckage of the plane that crashed in Ahmedabad, according to the news agency ANI.
 
A digital video recorder (DVR) was recovered from the debris. The news agency cited a member of the squad as saying the device will soon be examined by a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).
 
The footage will be analyzed to help determine the cause of the crash, according to the report.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chaired a review meeting at Ahmedabad airport with top officials.

This meeting was aimed at assessing the situation, discussing the cause of the crash, and determining the necessary steps to be taken, according to reports.

Narendra Modi visited Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on Friday morning, where he met the lone survivor of the crash, Ramesh Vishwashkumar, a 38-year-old British citizen.

Ahmedabad police said Vishwashkumar, who was sitting near the emergency exit, managed to “jump off” the plane. He is being treated for his injuries.

Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Friday that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has initiated a formal investigation into the crash of AI-171, following international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Additionally, a high-level expert committee will be established to investigate the incident and recommend safety enhancements to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future, according to Indian state broadcaster DD News.