Breaking News: Passenger’s Chilling Account of What Unfolded Aboard the Ahmedabad Flight Just Two Hours Before the Crash

Two Hours Before the Nightmare: A Passenger’s Chilling Account of Flight AI171 from Delhi to Ahmedabad

On June 12, 2025, at 1:38 PM IST, Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, vanished from routine and became the scene of India’s deadliest aviation disaster in decades. But two hours earlier—on its domestic leg from Delhi to Ahmedabad—something unforeseen had already begun to brew. Through the eyes of one passenger, 28-year-old Akash Vats, we piece together the ordinary and the unsettling moments that prefaced the catastrophe.

1. Setting Out: A Tight Itinerary and High Hopes

1.1 A Business Trip with Family in Tow

Akash Vats wasn’t traveling alone. He had flown from Delhi to Ahmedabad accompanied by two of his closest companions:

Mr. Ashok Kumar, his father and a retired schoolteacher
Mr. Varun Jain, a friend and colleague attending the same conference

Their schedule was mercilessly tight. They had arrived in Ahmedabad that morning for a late-afternoon business meeting, knowing full well that their return flight to London was scheduled for later that same day. Missing a single connection could mean postponing months of planning—and delaying work commitments back home.

1.2 Boarding in Delhi: An Uneventful Start

The Delhi–Ahmedabad segment departed on time. The boarding process was smooth:

Passengers settled into their seats.
Flight attendants offered water and newspapers.
The safety demonstration concluded, and the Dreamliner taxied toward Runway 29.

In the cockpit, Captain Sumit Sabharwal—a veteran with over 8,200 flight hours—and First Officer Clive Kundar ran through take-off checklists. On paper, this flight should have been as ordinary as thousands before it.

2. First Signs of Trouble: The AC Glitch and In-Flight Entertainment Failures

At 0:27 into the flight, as the aircraft climbed to cruising altitude, Akash began noticing oddities that he would later describe as “unusual for any modern airline.”

2.1 The Air Conditioning Malfunction

Akash’s row was uncomfortably warm. He later recounted:

“The air-conditioning simply did not work—on the ground or in the air. Every few minutes, we heard the compressor click ‘on-off-on,’ but there was no real cooling effect. In a Dreamliner, you expect climate control to be flawless.”

Fellow passengers fanned themselves with boarding passes. A young mother tried to soothe her crying baby; the child’s sweat beads glistened under the fluorescent cabin lights. Cabin crew apologized politely but offered no technical explanation.

2.2 Entertainment System Outage

As the plane leveled off, many travelers attempted to unwind with movies or music. To no avail:

Screens flickered and froze.
Touch-screens were unresponsive.
Headphones produced nothing but static.

Akash had flown frequently with Air India and lamented on social media:

“Inflight entertainment never works on Air India. You pay for tickets but feel you’re traveling with no perks—and today was no exception.”

3. The Passenger Chronicles: Tweets, Videos, and Growing Frustration

Akash is an active voice on social media, with over 4,500 tweets cataloging airline experiences—both good and bad. On AI171’s Delft Blue seats, he planned a brief livestream to register complaints.

3.1 Capturing the Moment

From seat 25A, Akash pulled out his smartphone and recorded:

The sweat trickling down his brow
Fellow passengers shifting uncomfortably
Cabin crew exchanging apologetic glances

He intended to tweet directly to Air India’s handle, believing a public nudge might prompt a tangible response. His father, sitting beside him, offered a polite nod of encouragement. His friend Varun pretended to scrutinize the inoperative screen, amused by Akash’s determination.

3.2 Network Hiccups and Aborted Posts

But as the flight approached Ahmedabad, his crafted post never went live. Akash later explained:

“By the time I was 120 kilometers out of Delhi, we’d lost mobile network. My video was stuck in draft. I decided I’d post as soon as I landed—tweet, get an apology, maybe compensation. That was my plan.”

Little did he realize that those aborted drafts would become digital ghosts—evidence of warning signs no one heeded.

4. A Smooth Landing in Ahmedabad—and Lingering Unease

4.1 Touchdown at 1:15 PM IST

Despite cabin issues, Flight AI171 touched down in Ahmedabad without incident.

The wheels kissed Runway 09 at exactly 1:15 PM.
Passengers applauded, relieved.
Ground staff welcomed travelers with trolleys and wheelchair assistance for the elderly.

Security scanners, immigration checks, and a quick baggage claim later, Akash, his father, and Varun exited the terminal at 1:30 PM. They hopped into a rental car bound for their meeting venue, thirty minutes away by road.

4.2 Preparations for London Leg

While his companions reviewed presentation slides on a tablet, Akash searched for a café to post his grievance. He ordered chai and set up his phone—but kept glancing at his watch. At 3:15 PM, he was scheduled to report at Ahmedabad Airport for the global leg to London, which was due for departure at 5:00 PM.

He ambled through the streets of Ahmedabad’s satellite township, nervously calculating:

30 minutes to airport traffic
Another 45 minutes for check-in and security

Time was ticking. The feeling of being slightly off-schedule niggled at him—but nothing he considered alarming for a domestic flight.

5. The Calm Before the Storm: Final Moments on the Ground

5.1 A Last-Minute Call Home

At 3:50 PM, parked outside Terminal 2, Akash made a brief phone call to his fiancée:

“Hey, I’m about to board for London. Everything’s fine… yes, dad and Varun are with me. I’ll call you again after take-off.”

He double-checked boarding passes:

AI171, Seat 25A (his position on the Delhi–Ahmedabad flight)
AI171, Seat 17C (his reserved seat for Ahmedabad–London)

The boarding gate was already displaying “FINAL CALL” in flashing yellow letters.

5.2 Final Security Sweep

By 4:00 PM, Akash, his father, and his friend joined a snaking queue at the security checkpoint. Tears welled in the eyes of an elderly woman traveling alone; anxious mothers rocked toddlers. Yet the air was charged more with eagerness than tension. A flight attendant’s announcement over the PA reminded passengers to fasten seatbelts and keep electronics in flight mode.

Akash slipped his phone into flight mode, slipped on his headphones—anticipating the long haul to Heathrow—and scanned his boarding pass one last time.

6. Boarding and Hopes for Resolution

Boarding commenced at 4:10 PM. The Boeing 787-8’s doors rose, revealing plush blue seats, spacious overhead bins, and the promise of a modern long-haul journey. Cabin crew greeted each guest with smiles. Akash found his new seat, settled in, and exhaled:

“I thought, ‘This is it—finally I can tweet, finally they’ll respond. Then I’ll have clean ears, cold air, and a working screen.’”

From his aisle perch, he watched other passengers stow luggage, laugh at familiar faces, and settle in for the flight. The overhead bins clicked shut. Flight attendants performed their safety dance one more time.

7. The Sudden Transition: From Routine to Catastrophe

7.1 Take-Off and the Unthinkable

At 4:45 PM, Flight AI171 began its take-off roll on Runway 09. Engines hummed. Overhead, lights dimmed. Footrests clicked into place. Captain Sabharwal’s voice, calm and reassuring, announced:

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard this Air India flight to London. We anticipate smooth skies and a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. Thank you for choosing Air India.”

Seconds later, the aircraft lifted gracefully. Passengers peered out the windows as Ahmedabad faded beneath cotton-candy clouds. But just minutes into the climb, a high-pitched whine grew in intensity. It wasn’t the familiar drone of a Dreamliner’s fans; it was something jagged, alarming.

7.2 The Chaos Unfolds

Akash later recalled the terror:

“The engines screamed—like a banshee. The cabin lurched. I thought, ‘We’re going to come down.’ I tried to send an emergency tweet, but my phone was in airplane mode.”

A rapid sequence of sounds followed: an abrupt bang, a violent shudder, the captain’s clipped “Mayday,” and then—silence.

8. The Aftermath: Shock, Grief, and the DNA Imperative

When the fuselage slammed into the BJ Medical College hostel at 4:52 PM, explosions and fireballs erupted across Meghani Nagar. By 6:00 PM, rescue teams had recovered 240 bodies—many unrecognizable beyond burned remains and fragmented bones. For families awaiting news, that meant one stark reality: DNA identification was the sole path to closure.

9. Reflections and Regrets: Akash’s Unfinished Drafts

In the weeks that followed, officials recovered Akash’s unsent tweets and Instagram stories from his device. They revealed a man who saw early warning signs but had no inkling of the disaster’s scale. His digital drafts became a haunting testament to missed signals:

A 40-second clip of a cabin overheated, fans clicking.
A screenshot of “No Signal” at cruising altitude.
A half-written tweet: “@airindiain Your AC & IFE issues on AI171 are unaccept….”

Today, those drafts lie sealed in evidence folders—a poignant reminder that small, everyday frustrations can pale into insignificance before the fragility of life itself.

10. Lessons Learned and a Passenger’s Plea

Akash survived by a miracle of timing—he had deplaned in Ahmedabad two hours before the crash. But the trauma lingers:

“I can’t erase the image of that safety card falling beside me, the same seat I once occupied.”

In interviews, he has since testified before the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), urging:

Faster Response to Maintenance Alerts

Enhanced Passenger Communication

Better Disaster Preparedness

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11. Epilogue: Carrying Forward a Cautionary Tale

Flight AI171’s tragedy reshaped aviation safety protocols worldwide. Yet for Akash Vats, the most searing lesson was personal:

“Technology failed me—my tweets never sent. But had I known what was coming, I would have done anything to warn those still aboard.”

He now travels as an aviation safety advocate, speaking at conferences and writing op-eds. He champions passenger vigilance and corporate accountability. His story—two hours before the crash—reminds us that sometimes the smallest irritations are the flickers of a larger warning.