Have a look at the bio, age and career of Air India pilot Sumit Sabharwal
Sumit Sabharwal was a veteran Air India pilot who was recently killed in flight AI 171 that crashed in Gujarat, find out more about him below.
The tragic plane crash involving Air India Flight AI 171 took place earlier today, on June 12, 2025, while the plane was en route from Ahmedabad to London.
Who is Captain Sumit Sabharwal, pilot of Air India Ahemdabad-London flight 171, biography, age, family, flying hours, career and photo
According to reports, the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, and the tragedy has left the entire nation in shock.
The Air India flight was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner twin jet carrying a total of 230 passengers and 12 crew members with Pilot in Command Sumit and co-pilot Clive Kunder who had 1,100 flying hours.
The Air India flight took off from Ahmedabad at 1.38pm with 242 people on board, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Piloted by Captain Sumit Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kunder, the flight included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese citizens.
The Air India B787 Aircraft gave a MAYDAY call to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) immediately after take-off but did not respond after that to calls made by the ATC to the aircraft.
Brave Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, flying the #AirIndia flight that met the tragic #planecrash in #Ahmedabad #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/QSXd3eUY8N
— Shock Chilli 🌶 (@ShockChilli) June 12, 2025
Air India Flight AI 171 crashes in Gujarat
The captain of the plane was Sumit Sabharwal. He was accompanied by First Officer Clive Kunder. Captain Sumit Sabharwal was a LTC. He had 8200 hours of flying experience. The co-pilot had 1100 hours of flying experience. LTC means Line Training Captain. These are experienced… pic.twitter.com/yG8NPuP43e
— Suraj rawat (@Surajrawat097) June 12, 2025
A tragic incident took place as a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off from Ahmedabad’s runway 23 at 1:38 p.m. Just minutes into takeoff, the pilot issued a MAYDAY call to Air Traffic Control (ATC) before tragically crashing into a densely populated residential area called Meghani Nagar. The aircraft was reportedly carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, including two pilots. The plane crash then triggered a massive fire and chaos on the ground, prompting immediate rescue and relief efforts.
Air India Pilot Sumit Sabharwal dies in tragic plane crash
An Air India pilot by the name of Captain Sumit Sabharwal tragically died in a plane crash. Sumit was commanding the Air India’s flight AI 171, before tragically losing his life in the crash. Alongside him, First Officer Clive Kundar, who had over 1,100 hours of flight experience, also lost his life.
Sumit Sabharwal biography
Captain Sumit Sabharwal was a well-respected figure in Indian aviation who recently passed away in a tragic airplane crash. He was a qualified Line Training Captain for Air India, and he was responsible for mentoring and training new pilots. Over the years, Sumit had shown extensive experience and a calm demeanor, which earned him admiration across the aviation community.
#Airlndia B787 aircraft VT-ANB, flight no. Al-171, crashd shortly aftr takeoff frm#Ahmedabad
There were 242 peeps on board includng 2 pilots & 10 cabin crew Plane ws commanded by Cap. Sumit Sabharwal & accompanied by Frst Officr Clive Kunder Dir Gen of Civil
Aviation @DGCAIndia pic.twitter.com/lxdxmGS7fR— Amit Prajapati (@AmiPra620) June 12, 2025
Family
Sumit Sabharwal was single and is survived by his father.
Age
While his DOB isn’t known, Captain Sabharwal was aged 55-56 years.
Education
While his exact education details remain undisclosed, Sumit trained at one of India’s premier aviation academies and obtained further training through international training programs.
Details of Air India Dreamliner crash
Plane: B787
Crash site: Residential area Meghani nagar)
Take off at 1:38 PM
Crash time: 5 minutes after take off
Pilots: Pilot in Command Sumit Sabharwal co-Pilot Clive Kunder
Crew: 10 + 2
Passengers: 232 passengers, Infants 2 pic.twitter.com/PBOl2NLd3u
— Rohan Dua (@rohanduaT02) June 12, 2025
Career
Sumit Sabharwal had a two-decade-long career as a pilot and had flown numerous aircraft and routes with Air India. As a Line Training Captain, he was also tasked with shaping and training the next generation of Indian pilots. Captain Sabharwal had logged over 8,200 hours of flying time throughout his career. Following his tragic death, Sumit’s colleagues remember him as a humble and focused man always prepared for any situation.
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