First flight, last goodbye: Rickshaw puller’s daughter’s tragic demise in Ahmedabad plane crash
First flight, last goodbye:A catastrophic plane crash in Ahmedabad killed 241 people, with just one survivor. The Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad for London Gatwick, erupting into flames after colliding with a structure close to the airport.Among the deceased was 22-year-old Payal Khatik, a student from Rajasthan who was heading to London to undertake her M.Tech.
First flight, last goodbye:Everything was on Payal. Her father, a poor rickshaw puller, borrowed money from their community to send her to university abroad. Payal was not just the bread winner for her family, but also their ticket to the future. She had never caught a plane until now, and the family is now distraught over her passing.
The crash investigation has started, with the U.S.-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) overseeing the inquiry. The pilots on the flight were seasoned pilot Sumeet Sabharwal, with a flying experience of more than 8,200 hours, and First Officer Cliver Kundar, with an experience of more than 1,100 hours.
First flight, last goodbye:Payal’s relatives are waiting outside the hospital for her body to be released after DNA sampling. Her relative presented a touching account of Payal’s life, which stated that Payal had never flown by plane before and was traveling out of the country for the first time. The relatives are now struggling with the loss of their darling daughter, who was their sole hope for a better future.
