PM Modi Visits Air India Crash Site in Ahmedabad, Orders High-Level Probe into Tragedy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the site of the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed the lives of 241 people, including 12 crew members. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Flight AI-171, had taken off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport en route to London Gatwick when it crashed minutes after takeoff.

Modi, who served as Gujarat’s Chief Minister for over a decade, arrived in the city to assess the situation firsthand. He was received at the airport by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, and Union Minister C.R. Paatil.

The aircraft, carrying 242 individuals including 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew, and 2 pilots, crashed into a residential area near B.J. Medical College shortly after takeoff on Thursday afternoon. Thick smoke, wreckage, and charred buildings bore witness to one of the most catastrophic air disasters in India’s aviation history.

In a tragic twist, only one person survived the crash—a British citizen of Indian origin, seated in 11A. He was pulled from the debris and is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital, according to officials.

On Thursday evening, PM Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his sorrow: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”

A full-scale investigation has been ordered. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been assigned to lead the probe, which will follow international aviation safety protocols.

“Following the tragic incident in Ahmedabad, a formal investigation has been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), in line with international protocols set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” Naidu posted on X. He added that the government is constituting a multidisciplinary high-level committee to conduct a comprehensive examination of the crash and strengthen future aviation safety mechanisms.

The AAIB, India’s official aviation investigation body under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is tasked with analyzing the flight’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder—commonly known as the “black boxes.” These critical devices are expected to shed light on the aircraft’s final moments before it lost altitude and crashed.

Minister Naidu emphasized that the government’s response will go beyond routine procedures. The high-level committee will comprise aviation safety experts, air traffic control professionals, engineers, and representatives from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), among others. Their mandate will not only be to understand what went wrong but to ensure stronger safeguards are put in place to prevent such tragedies.

As rescue and recovery operations continue, the country mourns the loss of so many lives in a crash that has left a deep scar on the nation’s collective conscience.