VIDEO shows Air India plane crash

Footage has emerged online showing the final moments of Air India Flight 171 before it crashed in an urban area shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, western India. The exact number of casualties is currently unknown, although the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 242 people on board at the time of the incident.

In the clip, the aircraft is seen flying at a low altitude with its nose tilted sharply upward and landing gear deployed. Despite this, the plane slowly descends and crashes in a residential area. Moments later, a fireball erupts and black smoke rises into the sky.

Another video filmed at the crash site shows smoldering debris with a large crowd gathered nearby.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was operating a scheduled flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. According to Air India, there were 169 Indian, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian national on board. It added that all the injured are being transported to the nearest hospitals.

Media reports have provided different casualty estimates, all in the dozens. The cause of the crash is unclear.

Boeing, one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, has faced mounting scrutiny in recent years due to a series of safety and quality control issues. Most notably, the Boeing 737 MAX was grounded globally between 2019 and 2020 following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people.

While the Boeing 787 has not faced as much public scrutiny as the Boeing 737 MAX, it has had issues related to lithium-ion batteries and general production quality control.