Heartbreak in Ahmedabad: Air India Crash Claims Dr. Pratik Joshi’s Entire Family, Including Three Young Children

The Last Flight: The Tragic End of Dr. Pratik Joshi’s Family in the Ahmedabad Plane Crash

On a clear Thursday morning in Ahmedabad, the city bustled with its usual energy: rickshaws clattered down the streets, chai stalls filled with early patrons, and the roar of aircraft engines punctuated the horizon. No one could have predicted that within moments, one such roar would turn into a nightmare that would shake the nation—and claim the lives of an entire family chasing their dreams.

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1. Dreams of a New Beginning

Dr. Pratik Joshi and his wife, Dr. Koni Vyas, were well-known figures in Udaipur’s medical community. Both accomplished physicians at the Pacific Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), they had treated hundreds of patients, mentored countless interns, and earned the admiration of colleagues and villagers alike. But after years of service, the couple decided it was time for a fresh chapter.

Dr. Pratik Joshi: A general surgeon celebrated for his gentle manner and surgical precision. He had performed over 1,200 successful procedures and was praised for his bedside compassion.
Dr. Koni Vyas: A pediatrician whose laughter lit up hospital corridors. Parents trusted her implicitly, and children responded to her warmth even in the most trying circumstances.

Their dream? To relocate to London, embrace new medical challenges, and provide their children with global education. Two days before the flight, Dr. Koni visited PIMS to say her farewells.

“I’ll miss working with each one of you,” she told a circle of tearful nurses and junior doctors. “But I promise, when I return for visits, we’ll share stories of our new life.”

2. Three Little Stars

The Joshi household in Nathdwara teemed with excitement and a touch of chaos. Their three children—Miraya (age 6), and six-year-old twins Pradyut and Nakul—had just finished school for the year.

Miraya, the eldest, loved painting and had already sketched the London skyline in her notebook.
Pradyut, the budding engineer, carried miniature toy planes everywhere—his declaration that one day he would build his own aircraft.
Nakul, soft-spoken and curious, clung to his mother’s white coat, asking endless questions about stethoscopes and hospital life.

The evening before departure, the family gathered for a small puja. Candles flickered, incense curled through the air, and Dr. Joshi whispered a prayer:

“May our journey be safe, and may we grow together.”

Unbeknownst to them, it would be their final blessing.

3. Boarding Air India Flight AI171

On the morning of the flight, nervous anticipation accompanied every step:

At 7:00 a.m., the Joshi family arrived at Udaipur Airport. Friends and colleagues hugged them tightly. Dr. Joshi posted a group selfie on WhatsApp: the family smiling under the boarding sign for AI171.
By 8:30 a.m., they landed in Ahmedabad on a connecting flight. They had a two-hour layover and used the time to have breakfast and rest in the lounge.
As they approached the gate, Dr. Joshi captured one last photograph—a selfie inside the cabin, the three children squeezed between their parents, all eager faces and bright eyes.

Passengers chatted about the 9-hour journey ahead. The flight attendants briefed everyone on safety protocols. The Joshi family, like the rest, belted in, unaware that destiny had already set a cruel course.

4. The Moment of Impact

At 9:15 a.m., Flight AI171 began its takeoff roll on Runway 23. Engines thundered; wheels clung to the tarmac. Then, inexplicably, the right engine let out a shrill scream. The plane jolted, swayed—and in a blur of metal and fury, soared briefly before crashing into the doctors’ hostel at Meghani Nagar Medical College, just beyond the runway’s end.

4.1 The Crash Site

The five-story hostel housed dozens of young medical students on their lunch break. Tables still held plates of dal-roti and sabzi. Students were scrolling through patient files on their phones or laughing over chai.

In the blink of an eye:

Concrete crumbled as the fuselage tore through the third and fourth floors.
Glass exploded in every direction.
Jet fuel ignited, sending towering flames licking the corridors.
A deafening blast echoed across the campus, shattering windows and rattling nearby buildings.

Inside the plane, screams were swallowed by the roar of engines and collapsing metal.

5. A Family’s Final Moments

Investigators pieced together the last known positions of the Joshi family through CCTV and witness accounts:

Pre-Crash: They were seated together in rows 27 and 28. Dr. Joshi had just tightened Miraya’s seatbelt. Dr. Vyas comforted Nakul, soothing his fear of flying.
The Jolt: As the engines faltered, Pradyut’s toy plane flew from his hand. The children huddled together instinctively.
Ejection: When the aircraft smashed into the building, Dr. Joshi and Dr. Vyas shielded their children. In one of the eeriest moments, a photograph on a passenger’s phone showed the family framed in the shattered doorway—faces bewildered, eyes wide with shock. That became their last image.

No one survived that impact zone. Rescuers would later find charred fragments of the children’s school uniforms and the torn edge of Dr. Vyas’s sari among the debris—a haunting testament to their final stand.

6. Chaos and Rescue Efforts

6.1 Emergency Response

Within minutes of the crash:

Airport Fire Services: Foam-tanker trucks and firefighting crews raced toward the burning wreck.
Civil Hospital Teams: Doctors and nurses sprinted from the main hospital, grabbing stretchers and oxygen cylinders.
Local Volunteers: Hospital security staff, off-duty medics, and even students formed human chains to salvage survivors from smoking rubble.

Dr. Ramila Ben, a pediatrician who arrived moments after the blast, recounted:

“The sight was apocalyptic. Walls on fire, bodies strewn everywhere, other students sobbing uncontrollably. We worked non-stop to extricate anyone we could, but the flames were merciless.”

6.2 Collateral Victims

In addition to the Joshi family, the crash claimed:

Five Medical Students: Residents from the same hostel, including two in their final year of MBBS who had dreams of serving remote villages.
Four Udaipur Passengers: Travelling businessmen and elderly relatives on pilgrimage to London.
Fifteen Airline Passengers: Fatalities among those still strapped in their seats.

Over fifty individuals were rushed to nearby hospitals with severe burns, crush injuries, and smoke inhalation. The city’s healthcare infrastructure groaned under the sudden influx of trauma cases.

7. The City Mourns

7.1 Udaipur’s Grief

When news spread that Dr. Pratik Joshi and his family were among the deceased, Udaipur sank into collective mourning:

PIMS Campus: Lectures were suspended. A memorial shrine of candles and roses grew outside the hospital’s entrance.
Nathdwara: Neighbors wept in the streets. Children whispered prayers for Miraya, Pradyut, and Nakul—the town’s golden trio.
Social Media: Photos of the Joshi family celebrating Diwali and Holi flooded timelines, accompanied by messages like “Rest in peace, heroes” and “Your smiles will never fade.”

7.2 Ahmedabad’s Response

Ahmedabad declared three days of mourning. The Chief Minister visited the crash site, placing a wreath at the makeshift memorial. He pledged full government assistance to all affected families.

District officials organized:

Counseling Centers for traumatized survivors and witnesses.
Compensation Packages for victims’ next of kin.
Blood Donation Drives across the city’s hospitals.

Local BJP MLA Pravin Rathod stood outside Civil Hospital, promising, “We will not let these families face their darkest hour alone.”

8. Official Investigations and Findings

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) convened a panel of experts to determine the cause:

Flight Data Recorders (Black Boxes): Recovered from the wreckage and sent to New Delhi for analysis.
Maintenance Logs: Scrutinized to check for any recent engine irregularities.
Pilot Communication: Cockpit voice recordings revealed no distress call—suggesting a catastrophic failure that offered no time for radio transmissions.

Preliminary reports cited a suspected dual-engine surge at around 80 knots of speed, causing a loss of thrust and aerodynamic control. The final verdict would take months, but in the meantime, passengers’ families demanded answers and accountability.

9. Personal Stories of Survival

Amid so much loss, a few miraculous escapes emerged:

Dr. Sanjana Mehta, a junior resident, was lifted by a wing fragment and thrown clear of the hostel. Despite multiple fractures, she survived and helped rescue fellow students.
Mr. Kamal Shah, a businessman seated two rows ahead of the Joshi family, managed to crawl out of the burning cabin and carry a crying infant passenger to safety. He later mourned the Joshi children, saying, “I wish I could have done more.”
Student Volunteer Groups formed spontaneously, guiding survivors through the labyrinth of collapsed corridors and medical wards.

These tales of courage became symbols of resilience, even as the city grappled with its wounds.

10. Remembering the Joshi Legacy

10.1 A Memorial Service

Two weeks after the crash, Pacific Hospital organized a tribute:

Lighting 20 Candles: In honor of the Joshi family and five fallen students.
Eulogies: Delivered by the hospital’s chairman, Dr. Ashish Agrawal, who fought back tears:

“Dr. Pratik and Dr. Koni were not just colleagues—they were friends, mentors, and inspirations. Their children embodied hope itself. We pledge to keep their spirit alive in every life we save.”

Scholarship Fund: Established in the Joshi children’s names to support underprivileged medical students.

10.2 Walls of Memory

On the former site of the doctors’ hostel, a memorial wall now stands. Engraved are the names of:

Dr. Pratik Joshi
Dr. Koni Vyas
Miraya, Pradyut, and Nakul
The five medical students
Other passengers from Udaipur and beyond

Vases of marigolds and hand-written notes cover every inch, ensuring that future generations understand the price of ambition and the fragility of life.

11. Lessons from a Tragedy

The Ahmedabad crash underscored critical safety and policy gaps:

Runway Overrun Protection: Calls to extend safety buffers before residential and institutional buildings.
Emergency Response Coordination: Streamlining communication between airport, municipal, and hospital services.
Technical Audits: More frequent, rigorous engine and hydraulic system checks, especially on aging fleets.
Mental Health Support: Recognizing the lasting trauma on survivors and first responders, with permanent counseling resources.

Aviation regulators in India vowed reforms, but for the Joshi family, five young doctors, and countless others, no policy change could reverse the finality of loss.

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12. Epilogue: Light Amid Darkness

The national tragedy of April 17, 2025, will linger in memory as one of India’s darkest aviation disasters. Yet in the ruins emerged stories of:

Bravery: Strangers risking their lives to save random fellow passengers.
Compassion: A city uniting to mourn, console, and rebuild.
Legacy: The J oshi family’s dream lives on through scholarships, memorials, and the patients they once healed.

Dr. Ramila Ben, reflecting on those days, said:

“We lost heroes in doctors’ coats and innocent children whose only crime was dreaming big. But their light didn’t die. It glows brighter—in the hearts of everyone who remembers their names.”

As the engines fall silent over Ahmedabad’s runway today, the Joshi children’s laughter still echoes—in paint-streaked notebooks, in the drone of toy planes, in every act of kindness that honors their memory. They boarded that flight chasing a future; they remain with us, a testament to hope, compassion, and the enduring power of the human spirit.