Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Pilot Sumit Sabharwal's Mortal Remains Set To Return Mumbai For Last Rites

Mumbai: The body of the pilot of the fatal Air India 171 flight from Ahmedabad to London, Captain Sumit Sabharwal, who was a resident of Powai, will be brought back to family in Mumbai to perform last rites.

Captain Sabharwal, a resident of Jal Vayu Vihar in Powai, Mumbai, recently informed his 82-year-old father, a former DGCA official, that he would soon take a break to spend time with him. That visit will now certainly not happen.

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, an experienced Air India pilot with nearly 30 years in aviation, was one of the fatalities in the plane crash that occurred shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Sabharwal called his family from the airport, promising them he would call again once he arrived in London. The call never arrived. His last message was directed to air traffic control, just before Air India Flight 171 crashed.

Captain Sabharwal accumulated over 8,200 hours of flight time in the cockpit, as reported by India's aviation authority DGCA. Colleagues think his true experience is significantly more extensive, pointing out that the DGCA’s existing digital system might not accurately capture his professional background.

Captain Sabharwal was among nine crew members from Mumbai on the flight heading to London. Along with crew members, 232 passengers onboard lost their lives leaving only one survivor, Ramesh Vishwakumar who managed to escape before the crash.