A passenger who was allegedly travelling on the same Air India plane hours before it crashed claims ‘nothing was working’ on the previous flight.
Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport on 12 June, as only one passenger out of the 242 on board survived.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel in Ahmedabad at 13.38 local time. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national, is the only person who survived.
“The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national,” Air India said in a statement.
Air India passenger said ‘nothing was working’ on previous flight
The Air India flight crashed into a medical college hostel shortly after takeoff (SAM PANTHAKY/AFP via Getty Images)
It comes after a man, named Akash Vatsa, filmed and posted footage from on board an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad just hours before the fatal crash.
In his videos, Vatsa claimed that ‘nothing is working’ in the cabin, pointing out that the air conditioning, seat-back TV screens, call buttons, and cabin lighting were all apparently out of service.
He said on X: “I was in the same damn flight two hours before it took off from AMD.
I was in the same damn flight 2 hours before it took off from AMD. I came in this from DEL-AMD. Noticed unusual things in the place.Made a video to tweet to @airindia i would want to give more details. Please contact me. @flyingbeast320 @aajtak @ndtv @Boeing_In #planecrash #AI171 pic.twitter.com/TymtFSFqJo
— Akash Vatsa (@akku92) June 12, 2025
“I came in this from DEL-AMD.”
“The AC is not working at all,” Vatsa added in one of the clips.
“And as usual, your TV screens are also not working, neither this button for calling the cabin crew.”
He said: “Nothing is working. Nothing! Not even the light is working. Is this what you are providing?”
Vatsa claims he was ‘sweating like hell’ in the cabin as a result.
The passenger also shared a picture of what he claimed to be his boarding pass and the plane’s registration code.
241 out of the 242 on board the Air India flight were killed (Press Information Bureau (PIB)/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“People who wanted to check the credibility. Here’s my boarding pass. Man, why would I firstly record video of the same plane and then post it?” he said.
LADbible Group has contacted Air India for comment.
British national miraculously survives the crash
Only one passenger survived the crash (X)
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the sole surviving passenger, said the lights on the plane ‘started flickering’ before the plane hit the ground.
“When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air,” the 40-year-old told the Hindustan Times.
“Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there.”
Ramesh, who was sat in ‘miracle seat’ 11A, added: “When I saw the exit, I thought I could come out. I tried, and I did. Maybe the people who were on the other side of the plane weren’t able to.”
“I don’t know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me… I walked out of the rubble,” he admitted.
Featured Image Credit: X/@akku92
