Indian authorities ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected on Saturday, June 14. The call comes after an Air India crash killed 270 people this week, according to Reuters. The London-bound flight struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff Thursday, June 12.
Viswash Kumar Ramesh, 38, the sole survivor of the crash, continues to recover in the hospital. “He is doing very well and will be ready to be discharged anytime soon,” Dr. Dhaval Gameti told the Associated Press on Saturday.
Safest seat on a plane
Gamesh was seated in seat 11A when the plane crashed. Many wonder if that seat saved his life. Aviation experts tell the New York Times — probably not.
“If you’re in a crash, all bets are off,” said Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board. “So pick whatever seat you want to make you feel comfortable.”
Seat 11A was in an exit row on the left side of the plane. Upon impact, the right side of the plane was crushed.
In an emergency like a fire, when “you’re still sitting on your landing gear and the airplane is pretty much upright and intact,” an exit row may offer the quickest path to safety, Guzzetti said. “But with regard to the crash dynamics of an accident like Air India, I think it’s just a matter of chance.”
US sending aid
The U.S. is sending investigators to the crash site as the aircraft was American-made. Currently, it’s unclear what caused the plane to plummet shortly after takeoff, but Air India stated that the crew issued a mayday call shortly after departure.
Relatives of the crash victims expressed frustration Saturday that the identification process was taking too long. Authorities say it normally takes up to 72 hours to complete DNA matching, and they are expediting the process.