Kreindler Investigating the Crash of Air India Flight 171 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner Airplane Near Ahmedabad, India
June 12, 2025
What Happened
On June 12, 2025, at approximately 1:43 p.m. local time, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The London-bound flight was en route to Gatwick Airport when it went down just five minutes into the flight, striking a medical hostel.
A BBC news report identified a British national survivor as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh who had been sitting in seat 11A. At least 50 medical students were injured when the Boeing 787 plane crashed into the doctor’s hostel building. The report added that Indian media has spoken with Vishwash and reported him saying, “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
In the Media
Ongoing Investigation
According to media reports, the pilots issued a mayday call but failed to respond to further air traffic control communications. Videos of the crash sequence depict the aircraft struggling to gain altitude before descending into terrain. Authorities from multiple nations have mobilized to investigate. The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has dispatched a multidisciplinary team to assist Indian investigators. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), accompanied by technical advisers from Boeing and engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, will also participate in accordance with international aviation protocols established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
While the exact cause of the crash is currently unknown, the Boeing 787 is equipped with sophisticated monitoring systems. Once the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are recovered and analyzed, investigators will be better equipped to determine what happened in the moments leading up to the disaster.
Kreindler Litigation Experience with Boeing Aircraft
The Kreindler firm is closely monitoring developments in this case. As the world’s preeminent aviation accident law firm, Kreindler has successfully represented families affected by nearly every major aviation disaster involving Boeing aircraft, including:
- Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, Boeing 737 MAX, Bishoftu, Ethiopia
- Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, Catastrophic Engine Failure, Boeing 737-700
- Turkish Airlines Flight 1951, Boeing 737-800, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- TWA Flight 800, Boeing 747, Atlantic Ocean, near East Moriches, New York
- Asiana Airlines Flight 214, Boeing 777, San Francisco, California
- Pan Am Flight 103, Boeing 747, Lockerbie, Scotland
- American Airlines Flight 965, Boeing 757, Cali, Columbia
- Silk Air Flight 185, Palembang, Sumatra - Boeing 737
- United Flight 585, Boeing 737, Colorado Springs, Colorado
- USAir Flight 427, Boeing 737, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Kreindler Experience with International Aviation Accidents
No law firm in the world has successfully handled more International aviation accident cases than Kreindler. Truly an international practice, Kreindler’s 75 years of legal practice have included wrongful death and serious injury cases involving over 50 different countries.
About Kreindler
Kreindler is the preeminent aviation accident law firm in the world. Our attorneys have been appointed lead counsel in nearly every major commercial airline disaster case in the U.S. and abroad. The firm was recently named the 2024 Transportation Law Firm of the Year by the National Law Journal. Kreindler’s aviation practice is led by attorneys who are also commercial rated, veteran military pilots. Kreindler’s aviation accident attorneys have achieved an unmatched record of success representing people globally who have been injured or lost family members in international and domestic airline disasters.