Did the Sole Survivor of London-Bound AI171 Switch His Seat?

Catastrophic Crash in Ahmedabad

A London-bound Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on the afternoon of 12 June, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had departed at 1:38 p.m. local time, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, but went down within minutes near a densely populated area adjacent to B.J. Medical College.

The flight was carrying 230 passengers, two pilots, and 10 cabin crew members. Air India confirmed the nationalities of the passengers: 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. Among those on board was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who had reportedly checked into business class. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed his death.

The airline had fully fueled the plane for the long-haul flight, which intensified the blaze after impact. Emergency services, including fire crews, disaster response units, and military personnel, rushed to the scene. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed six teams, while the Indian Army sent over 130 personnel to aid rescue and recovery efforts.

One Survivor, Many Questions

Amidst widespread destruction, one man survived. Doctors at Civil Hospital in Asarwa are treating Ramesh Viswashkumar, a British national of Indian origin, for injuries to his chest, eyes, and feet. Dhaval Gameti, the attending physician, said the survivor appeared disoriented but was no longer in immediate danger.

Police initially found that Ramesh had been seated in 11A. However, a report later revealed that the flight manifest listed his assigned seat as 11J, while his boarding pass indicated 11A. This raised speculation that a last-minute seat switch may have contributed to his survival.

A video circulating on TikTok echoed this theory.

But an internal cross-check reveals that there were two individuals named Ramesh listed on the manifest, making News18’s report likely inaccurate.

Regardless of his seat assignment, Ramesh was one of the few showing signs of life when emergency crews arrived at the crash site. He had been in India visiting family and was traveling with his brother, Ajay Kumar Ramesh, whose condition is still unconfirmed.

Crash Investigation Underway

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Boeing experts, and teams from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are actively investigating the cause of the crash. Flight data indicates the aircraft reached a maximum barometric altitude of only 625 feet before descending rapidly. Live flight tracking site FlightRadar reported the plane’s signal vanished within seconds of takeoff.

Former NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said the crash video showed the plane had its landing gear down and flaps up—when both should have been the opposite.

Local media reported that investigators have recovered one of the two black boxes from the Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed en route to London Gatwick.

Ground Casualties and Response

The plane crashed into residential quarters near B.J. Medical College. The crash killed at least five medical students and injured nearly 50 people inside the building, with some in critical condition. Rescue teams continued searching the debris for more victims.

Operations at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport were suspended. Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel announced a green corridor for emergency transport and vowed rescue efforts on a “war footing.” Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy.

A Nation in Mourning

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg issued statements expressing condolences. Gatwick Airport, acknowledged the tragedy. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that British authorities were cooperating fully with Indian officials and urged affected families to contact the Foreign Office.

The full passenger list has now been released. For Ramesh Viswashkumar, the only confirmed survivor, the question of whether a seat swap saved his life remains unresolved — but his survival stands as a rare glimmer of hope in an otherwise devastating event.

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@dailymailuk

Replying to @patbutcher99 A British father who miraculously survived the Air India plane disaster, has spoken out from his hospital bed. The crash is believed to have claimed the lives of hundreds of people in India. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, spoke from the safety of a hospital bed after escaping from the fallen Gatwick-bound Flight 171 this morning. #airindia #planecrash #miracle #ahmedabad #news #india

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