A tragic incident occurred on Thursday (June 12) when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Air India crashed, resulting in hundreds of casualties. US President Donald Trump expressed his condolences for the accident and mentioned that he has provided some “suggestions” regarding the possible causes of the accident, as well as offering assistance to Indian authorities.
“I have given them some suggestions. I said, ‘Maybe you can look into this.’ You know, we saw that plane, it looked like it was flying well, it didn’t seem to explode, it’s just that the engine may have lost power,” Trump said at an event at the White House on Thursday.
Trump stated that he has offered assistance in rescue efforts to India and described the “horrible” air disaster as “one of the worst in aviation history”.
“It’s a big country, a strong country, I believe they will handle it well, but I have told them that as long as we can help, we will be there as soon as possible,” Trump said.
The flight took off from Ahmedabad, India en route to London Gatwick Airport in the UK with a total of 242 passengers and crew onboard, mostly Indian and British citizens. Air India has confirmed that all 241 people on board the crashed flight have tragically lost their lives, with only one survivor currently receiving medical treatment.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, flight AI171, took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 13:39 local time, ascended to 625 feet (approximately 190 meters), then lost contact and issued a distress signal of “Mayday” before crashing.
The aircraft crashed into the residential area of B.J. Medical College dormitories in Meghani Nagar in the northeast of the airport, destroying multiple homes of doctors and their families, causing a huge fire and thick smoke, which led to at least 5 deaths and 50 injuries.
It is reported that the airplane’s black box has been found and handed over to investigative authorities for analysis. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the US stated on Thursday that they are in contact with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). According to a post on the X platform by NTSB, they will lead a US investigation team to India to assist with the accident investigation.
When accidents involving American-made aircraft occur, US aviation safety officials typically participate in the investigative process to determine the causes, which often take several weeks or even months.
This aviation disaster marks the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its history.
Boeing stated that they are “aware of initial reports and are gathering more information”. On Thursday, before the US stock market opened, Boeing’s stock price fell by approximately 6%.