A woman who missed Air India flight AI171 by 10 minutes has described her shock when she realised the plane had crashed.
Bhoomi Chauhan was intending to catch the Air India flight to Gatwick Airport on Thursday.
But she got stuck in heavy traffic, meaning by the time she reached Sardar Vallabhbhai Airport in Ahmedabad she had missed boarding the plane by 10 minutes.
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The plane crashed shortly after take-off, killing all but one of the 242 people on board. British man Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the sole survivor.
Bhoomi heard about the crash just minutes after being turned away from the boarding gates.
She had been visiting family in Ahmedabad and was on her way to rejoin her husband in London.
Speaking to local media, Bhoomi said her ‘mind went numb’ when she was told about the crash, saying she ‘shivered badly and her legs started shaking’.
She explained: ‘We arrived at the check-in gate 10 minutes late, but they didn’t allow me, and I returned.
‘They said that it would delay the flight further. I was late because of traffic in the Ahmedabad city area.
‘When I came to know that the flight had crashed, I was totally numb.
‘I thank my mother Goddess that I am safe, but the incident is absolutely terrifying.’
The plane, which crashed just minutes after leaving the runway, was carrying 229 passengers and 12 crew members.
There were 159 Indian nationals, 53 Brits, seven Portuguese and one Canadian on board. There were 11 children on the flight, including two newborn babies.
Aviation experts say that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner may have suddenly lost power shortly after take-off, ‘at the most critical phase of flight’. Why that happened is now under investigation.
The possible causes include a rapid change in wind direction or a bird strike leading to a double engine stall.
Officials from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are now at the scene to analyse the wreckage and find the plane’s black box.
The tracking website Flightradar24 received the last signal from the aircraft just after the plane left the runway, at an altitude of about 625ft.
The aircraft was piloted by captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of flying experience and co-pilot Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours of flying experience.
India’s aviation regulator said he issued a mayday call then stopped responding and crashed immediately afterwards.
Air India’s chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in a statement: ‘With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today.
‘It is very disappointing that it is a Dreamliner as it is a state-of-the-art Boeing. We cannot rule out security issues. But this is all speculation on my part.
‘Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event. At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families.
‘We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.’
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