Seconds after take off: What AI171 tragedy teaches us

 Lost lives in under a minute and what the rest of us can learn from it.

Picture from express.co.uk

On June 12, 2025, Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, departed from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick.  Within 30 seconds, it crashed into a residential hostel at B. J. Medical College.  Out of 242 on board, 241 lives perished along with several others on the ground.  Miraculously, there was a single sole survivor - a 40-year-old British-Indian man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was seated at 11A near the emergency exit.  

Here are five (5) lessons we can learn from the tragedy:

1. Seat location and emergency awareness. 

Ramesh's survival is partly due to where he was seated, next to a broken exit that did not hinder him in.  His quick reaction during the tragedy by jumping out of the plane away from the crash only shows the knowledge and awareness of evacuation routes and calm instinct can save lives.

2.  Life itself is a miracle.

As they always say, "life is too short".  Don't procrastinate the I love you and I'm sorry.  Be always kind to everyone you meet.  We may never know, it's their last, or yours.

3.  Truth and tenderness.

When tragedy strikes, truth and tenderness must go together.   Truth as to what happened and find who is accountable.  However, compassion is needed in the healing of both the victims and those who are responsible for the accident.

4. Document to tell stories.

Each single passenger had stories to tell.   Preserving every moment in your own life with pictures, words, rituals, social media post, etc.  These memories will be preserved for the future generations.

5.  Gratitude.

When I first traveled by plane to Saudi Arabia, every time we reached our destination on landing, the passengers would give a loud clap and shouts of thank you.  Be thankful in everything that happened to you, even if it is an accident.  Thankfulness transforms trauma into testament.

The Air India AI171 tragedy is a reminder for all of us.  This reminds us to always listen to safety instructions before flight (which we always neglect), prepare better, act faster and to cherish life with deeper care.

Condolences to everyone affected.