Hero Pilot’s Quick Thinking Saves Hundreds in Air India Crash

Quick Smiles:

• Pilot Sumeet Sabharwal’s quick thinking prevented a larger tragedy.
• Residents express gratitude for narrowly avoided disaster.
• Air India supports affected families and plans reconstruction efforts.

Amid the unfortunate crash of an Air India flight in Ahmedabad, a glimmer of positivity shines through the actions of pilot Sumeet Sabharwal.

Though the crash claimed 241 lives aboard, Sabharwal’s decisive actions averted what could have been a catastrophe of far greater magnitude on the ground.

Witnesses reported that Sabharwal managed to steer the Boeing 787 away from an apartment building just moments before impact.

“Thanks to the pilot Captain Sabharwal, we survived. He’s a hero. It is because of him we are alive,” shared Jahanvi Rajput, a 28-year-old whose home was spared.

“The green space next to us was visible to him and that’s where he went.”

Local residents around the crash site noted that a collision with the residential area would have resulted in “hundreds more victims.”

The incident occurred after the plane suffered a “catastrophic engine failure” shortly after takeoff.

Captain Sabharwal, 55, described by colleagues as a “good, quiet person,” navigated the jet into the top floors of an abandoned military building.

This building was adjacent to a medical college hostel, avoiding the densely populated apartment complex.

Despite the crash and the fire ignited by 90 tons of jet fuel, only a single passenger survived.

Control tower footage revealed that Sabharwal had less than 10 seconds to make his decision, as engine power was lost shortly after departure.

The plane impacted on a glide path, with the nose still pointing upwards, saving the lives of 18 families residing in the apartment building.

In the aftermath, Air India, owned by the Tata Group, extended a death benefit of $120,000 to families who lost loved ones.

They also committed to rebuilding the medical hostel and retired the flight number 171.

An investigation into the engine malfunction is underway, with findings expected in three months.

Captain Sabharwal’s name and the lives he saved continue to be shared and celebrated.

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