Harrowing footage captures the mere few seconds Air India Flight 171 was airborne before tragically crashing shortly after takeoff.
The footage, captured by a CCTV camera at Ahmedabad Airport and shared by Indian news outlet NDTV, shows that the flight only hovered above ground for a short 32 seconds after it took off.
NDTV adds that the flight’s entire trajectory—from gearing toward takeoff to the time of impact—only amounted to 59 seconds, based on the CCTV footage.
#Watch | 32 Seconds Of Horror: Video Shows Air India Flight Trying To Take Off, Crashing Into Buildinghttps://t.co/cBsLTolMGL@ShivAroor @GaurieD @Vasudha156 pic.twitter.com/IlPCl6jUKv
— NDTV (@ndtv) June 12, 2025
The shock footage depicts the plane lifting off before struggling to regain its altitude and quickly descending onto the ground. There is then a visible, large explosion.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was carrying 242 people—230 passengers and 12 crew members. It was traveling from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India to London’s Gatwick Airport.
Air India has since confirmed that only one passenger survived the plane crash, with all other 241 people on board confirmed to be dead. The plane also hit a hostel for doctors when it crashed, increasing the number of casualties to more than 260 so far. The exact number is still varying among reports.
The crash’s sole survivor is Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national of Indian origin, per CNN. He’s currently being treated at a hospital near the airport and is in “not very critical condition,” according to Dr. Rajnish Patel, a professor and head of surgery at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, who spoke to CNN.
“I don’t know how I am alive,” Ramesh said according to his younger brother, Nayan Ramesh, quoted in The New York Times.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has initiated a formal investigation into the cause of the crash, Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu announced on X Thursday.
Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg also released a statement indicating that the company spoke to Air India’s Chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, to offer their support and that the “Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.”
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