Captain Sabharwal's Final Act Of Bravery Saves Dozens In Air India Crash

The captain of the ill-fated Air India Flight 171 is being hailed as a hero for his final moments of bravery, steering the aircraft away from densely populated apartment blocks just seconds before the fatal crash.

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, an experienced aviator with over 8,200 flight hours, was at the controls of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route to London Gatwick when disaster struck shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday.

With both engines failing, Captain Sabharwal and co-pilot First Officer Clive Kunder issued a mayday call, but had less than 90 seconds to act before the aircraft plunged to the ground and exploded on impact.

Eyewitnesses and investigators say the aircraft had been headed toward B.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital, as well as a street of nearby homes. In a last-ditch maneuver, the pilots managed to slightly bank the powerless jet away from the residential area, saving dozens of lives.

Tragically, all but one of the 242 people on board perished. Several medical students were also killed when the jet’s landing gear and tail section clipped a hospital dormitory.

Despite the devastation, survivors on the ground are praising Captain Sabharwal’s final act of courage.

“Thanks to Captain Sabharwal, we survived. He’s a hero. It’s because of him that we are alive,” said Jahanvi Rajput, 28, a local resident. “He aimed for the green space next to us, and that’s where the plane went.”

Chancal Bai, 50, a mother of two who lives nearby, added: “If the plane had crashed into this residential area, there would have been hundreds more victims.”

Adding to the heartbreak, it has emerged that Captain Sabharwal had told his elderly father just days before the crash that he was planning to retire from flying to take care of him full-time.

The revelation came from Maharashtra lawmaker Dilip Lande, who visited the family home in Mumbai’s Powai suburb to offer condolences to the captain’s 82-year-old father.

“Only a few days ago, Captain Sabharwal told his father he would be quitting his job to look after him,” Lande told reporters.

The captain’s father, a retired officer of India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), was said to be inconsolable.

“Whenever he flew out, Sumeet would ask us to check in on his father,” neighbors told The Hindustan Times. “Now, he’s been left devastated.”

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal’s heroism in his final moments has etched his name into the hearts of many—an aviator who gave his life to save others.