Air India plane crash: Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was about to quit job to take care of his dad full time
PTC Web Desk: In a devastating aviation tragedy, two experienced pilots—Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder—lost their lives alongside 239 others when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon.
The flight, which was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport, carried 230 passengers and 10 crew members. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aircraft crashed just 32 seconds after takeoff, failing to gain sufficient altitude and erupting into flames at merely 825 feet. Only one passenger, a British-Indian national named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the horrific incident.
The pilots at the helm had a combined flying experience of 9,300 hours. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a seasoned pilot with over 8,300 hours of flight time, had long served the national carrier and hailed from Powai, Mumbai. Known for his dedication, he had reportedly shared with his elderly father plans to retire soon and take care of him full time. His father, a retired official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, is now left shattered. The Sabharwal family is deeply rooted in aviation, with two nephews also working as pilots.
“He recently told his father he’d soon be home for good,” said Shiv Sena MLA Dilip Lande during a condolence visit, as quoted by The Times of India. Neighbours recalled how Captain Sabharwal would always ensure his father's care during his flights, often asking local friends to check in on him.
First Officer Clive Kunder, who had clocked 1,100 flying hours, also came from an aviation family. His mother had served as a flight attendant with Air India. Kunder’s parents, currently in Sydney visiting their daughter, are returning to India.
Shortly before the crash, Captain Sabharwal had issued a “Mayday” distress call to Air Traffic Control—a chilling final attempt to warn of the aircraft's critical failure. A Mayday call signifies an immediate threat to life, typically due to technical or structural failure.
The cause of the crash is under investigation, and the authorities are analysing flight data to determine what went wrong during the brief flight.
- With inputs from agencies
