The tragic crash of an Air India flight bound for London from Ahmedabad has taken a new turn, with a video surfacing that suggests technical malfunctions on the same aircraft just hours before the fatal incident. The aircraft, which operated as AI 423 from Delhi to Ahmedabad on the morning of June 12, departed the national capital at 10:07 am and landed in Ahmedabad at 11:40 am. ring this leg of the journey, a passenger onboard, Aakash Vats, recorded and released a video highlighting malfunctioning air conditioning and other operational issues inside the cabin.
Passenger flagged technical issues during the earlier flight
In the video, Vatsa can be heard saying, “The AC isn’t working, many systems are non-functional, and passengers are visibly distressed. Even the entertainment screens in front of the seats are not operational.”
He further pointed out that passenger call buttons were also not responding, and many travellers could be seen using inflight magazines to fan themselves due to the heat.
'Sweating inside, no ventilation'-Alarming conditions documented
Describing his discomfort, Vats noted, “The cabin is hot and stuffy, I’m sweating. The air conditioning hasn’t worked for 15 minutes. This is Air India’s Dreamliner aircraft.”
According to him, neither the infotainment system nor the crew call buttons were functional, raising serious questions about in-flight maintenance and pre-departure safety checks.
Hours later, the same aircraft crashes after takeoff
Tragically, the same Boeing 787 Dreamliner, re-designated as AI 171, departed from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick later that afternoon at 1:38 pm, only to crash minutes after takeoff. According to initial reports, the plane went down in a residential area near BJ Medical College in Meghani Nagar, resulting in multiple fatalities.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed that several lives were lost in the crash, although the exact toll is yet to be officially verified.