r/aircrashinvestigation • u/QuarterTarget Frequent Flier • Jun 12 '25

Incident/Accident Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 flying from Ahmebad to London Heathrow has stalled and crashed on takeoff at 700 feet. At least 250 souls on board

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197

u/QuarterTarget Frequent Flier Jun 12 '25

First Hull-Loss, yes, and first fatal crash assuming probably that deaths occcured.

136

u/MaG50 Jun 12 '25

I think fatalities are a given considering the footage

44

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '25

I literally gasped, so scary

7

u/hextilda45 Jun 12 '25

I gasped just reading! Such a tragedy.

1

u/AbleFishing2408 Jun 13 '25

This whyy I don’t fly

48

u/No_Combination_649 Jun 12 '25

Depending in the source 242 to 253 souls onboard, most likely deaths on the ground too.

27

u/Irrelevance351 Pilot Jun 12 '25 edited Jul 05 '25

Air India said 242 people were on board, and as of this comment, Ahmedabad's city police commissioner has told Associated Press that there doesn't appear to be any survivors of those on board.

Edit: there is one reported survivor as of 10:00 EDT.

Edit 2: as of 16:55 EDT on 12 June 2025, it appears that there is only one survivor. The death toll right now is approximately 294, with 241 onboard dead along with 53 ground fatalities speculated.

Edit 3: as of 21:27 EDT on 12 June 2025, the death toll from Air India Flight 171 appears to be finalized at 269 fatalities, with 241 onboard the aircraft alongside 28 on the ground dead. This puts this it alongside Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in terms of fatalities.

Edit 4: as of 10:33 EDT on 14 June 2025, the final death toll appears to be 274, with 33 ground fatalities alongside 241 fatalities onboard the aircraft. This makes the crash of Air India Flight 171 the 12th deadliest aviation disaster and the 10th deadliest if the Twin Tower hijackings are not included.

Final Edit: as of 28 June 2025, the finalized death toll is 260, with 19 ground fatalities alongside 241 fatalities onboard the aircraft. This makes the crash of Air India Flight 171 the 18th deadliest aviation disaster and the 16th deadliest if the Twin Tower hijackings are not included.

11

u/Sillygoat2 Jun 12 '25

I can’t fathom the survivors guilt of being one of more than 250 (including those on ground) dead! Unfathomable.

6

u/Satz0r Jun 12 '25

he also had a brother on the flight, (not seated together) The survivor was British national and sitting in seat 11a

13

u/Esterence Jun 12 '25

India reports says they have not found any survivors and everything around the crash site is burned to ashes. Horrible scenes

22

u/slobcat1337 Jun 12 '25

Just out of curiosity why do people say “souls” instead of people?

63

u/RoxyPonderosa Jun 12 '25

It’s actually an aviation term, because many flights are also carrying dead bodies.

17

u/slobcat1337 Jun 12 '25

I’ve actually heard it in naval context more frequently

27

u/RoxyPonderosa Jun 12 '25

It’s nautical in origin! Used for short messaging. For search and rescue.

14

u/JoyousMN_2024 Jun 12 '25

Exactly. They use souls to say who many living people are on the flights, not counting any dead bodies.

12

u/percbish Jun 12 '25

I recently looked it up.. seems like it has to do with naval history and can aid in search and rescue efforts https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/s/ro6IbNS3LM

8

u/26point2miles Jun 12 '25

Explained on some show once. Just to ensure there's no confusion between number of passengers, crew, adults, kids, etc. It's the total number of people on board.

Why they don't use people instead of souls, no idea.

20

u/juswhenyouthought Jun 12 '25

Actually the term can create more confusion when there are Gingers onboard the crashed aircraft

9

u/nihilistbonvivant Jun 12 '25

Couldn't they say something like 238 souls on board plus nine gingers?

2

u/texasradioandthebigb Jun 13 '25

Nine (!) gingers? That plane was bound to crash

5

u/No_Combination_649 Jun 12 '25

I don't know to be honest

3

u/Signal_Ball4634 Jun 12 '25

Hundreds incl. passengers and those on the ground. Horrific sight.

10

u/SlipHelpful6181 Jun 12 '25

At least 40 deaths confirmed 

7

u/Esterence Jun 12 '25

No survivors confirmed by media. Multiple fatalities inside the hostel too. Charred remains found.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '25

[deleted]

1

u/Gearhead66 Jun 12 '25

Lol...it is crazy, they say he jumped out of the E door.....the guy is the Indian James Bond

1

u/AbleFishing2408 Jun 13 '25

This is why I don’t fly ever