Daijiworld Media Network - Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, June 12: First Officer Clive Kunder of Mangaluru roots and resident of Mumbai was among the crew members aboard the ill-fated Air India flight AI 171 that crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar, Ahmedabad, shortly after take-off on Thursday, June 12 afternoon. He had attended Paris Air inc.
Clive Kunder's was the son of Clifford Kunder, originally from Mangaluru, settled in Mumbai's Kalina village. He was the member of UBM Christa Kanthi Church, Kurla.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner had departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 PM.
Clive, who had clocked 1,100 hours of flying experience, was assisting Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with over 8,200 flying hours. The two were at the controls when the aircraft, carrying 232 passengers—including two infants—and 12 crew members, went down approximately five minutes into the flight.
Among the passengers was former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, according to unconfirmed reports. He was reportedly listed as passenger number 12. The total number of people onboard was 242.
Emergency services at the airport responded swiftly. Flames engulfed the aircraft after impact, and thick plumes of smoke were seen from several kilometres away. Fire officer Jayesh Khadia confirmed that fire tenders were rushed in to contain the blaze.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has deployed a team, including the Director of Airworthiness, Assistant Director of Airworthiness, and a Flight Operations Inspector who were already in Ahmedabad, to investigate the incident.
Operations at Ahmedabad airport have been suspended indefinitely following the crash. “All flight operations at SVPIA are temporarily suspended until further notice,” a spokesperson of the airport said.
Senior cabin crew identified include Shradha Dhavan and Aparna Mahadik, while others on duty were Saineeta Chakravarti, Nganthoi Kongbrailatpam Sharma, Deepak Pathak, Maithili Patil, Irfan Shaikh, Lamnunthem Singson, Roshni Songhare Rajendra, and Manisha Thapa.
The cause of the crash is yet to be officially determined, and rescue operations are underway.
Clive Kunder's video channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTqtWHPGlZIjqzR4HOpo0Kw