Imagine staring death in the face at 625 feet, only to walk away with barely a scratch. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national from Leicester, lived through the unimaginable when Air India Flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport in Gujarat, India, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport. It’s a story of tragedy, survival, and questions that demand answers.
According to Breitbart, this devastating incident saw a Boeing 787 Dreamliner plummet into a doctor’s hostel, claiming lives, including Ramesh’s brother Ajay, while Ramesh miraculously escaped with minor injuries.
Flight AI171 was just beginning its journey when disaster struck, reaching a peak altitude of nearly 625 feet and a speed close to 200 miles per hour before the catastrophic descent. Ramesh, seated near an emergency exit in a forward row, had no inkling of the nightmare awaiting him and his brother Ajay, seated elsewhere on the plane. The cause remains a mystery, leaving us to wonder if progressive safety regulations have outpaced common-sense engineering.
As the plane struggled, Ramesh recalled a haunting moment when “something had happened,” and the aircraft felt “stuck.” A green and white light flickered inside—possibly a switch to backup power after a catastrophic failure, per aviation analysts. If that’s true, it’s a stark reminder that technology, no matter how advanced, isn’t foolproof when bureaucracy meddles with innovation.
MIT aeronautics professor John Hansman suggests the tail struck first, causing the fuselage to rotate and slam forward, breaking near Ramesh’s seat. That break, near the emergency exit, became his lifeline. Isn’t it ironic how often survival hinges on sheer luck rather than over-engineered safety mandates?
“The side where I was seated fell into the ground floor of the building. There was some space,” Ramesh told India’s NDTV, describing his escape. The impact demolished a building door, creating an opening for him to bolt through.
“I ran. I don’t know how,” Ramesh admitted, still grappling with the surreal moment he realized he was alive. It’s a humbling lesson—sometimes instinct trumps all the safety seminars in the world.
Outside, chaos reigned as Ramesh stumbled into the aftermath, surrounded by debris and tragedy. “There were bodies all around me. I was scared,” he recounted, painting a grim picture of loss that no government policy can soften.
Initially mistaken for an injured pedestrian, Ramesh, bloodied and burned, wandered the streets until help arrived. Someone finally guided him to an ambulance, where he clutched a miraculously undamaged smartphone. Turns out, even in disaster, some things—like tech—hold up better than overregulated systems.
The personal toll is heartbreaking—Ramesh’s brother Ajay didn’t survive, a loss that weighs heavier than any physical injury. “When he called us, he was just more worried about my other brother, like ‘Find Ajay, find Ajay,’” said Nayan, Ramesh’s younger brother. That kind of family bond cuts deeper than any progressive talking point on “community healing.”
Ramesh witnessed horrors no one should, including the death of an air hostess right before his eyes. It’s a stark reminder of the human cost when things go wrong at 200 miles per hour. We can’t legislate away every risk, no matter how much the left insists on trying.
Speculation abounds on what caused this tragedy, with experts pointing to potential engine failure, perhaps a bird strike akin to the 2009 ‘Miracle on the Hudson’, or incorrect wing flap settings. Until answers emerge, families like Ramesh’s are left with grief and uncertainty. Shouldn’t accountability trump endless committees and red tape?
While Ramesh walked to an ambulance under his power, his survival doesn’t erase the questions about aviation safety. Are we prioritizing flashy tech over rigorous, no-nonsense testing? It’s a debate worth having before more lives are lost.
“I thought I would die,” Ramesh confessed, a sentiment that echoes the fragility of life in such moments. His escape through a broken fuselage and a shattered building door is nothing short of miraculous. Yet, miracles shouldn’t be our only line of defense against disaster.
As investigations continue, Ramesh’s story stands as both a testament to human resilience and a call for clarity. We owe it to Ajay and every lost soul on Flight AI171 to demand straightforward, effective safety measures—not more bureaucratic fluff.
