In a miraculous turn of events, a 28-year-old student, Bhoomi Chauhan, narrowly escaped death after missing her Air India flight AI171 from Ahmedabad, India, to London, which tragically crashed shortly after takeoff. The flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed into buildings in Ahmedabad on Thursday morning, killing everyone on board except one survivor.
The Missed Flight
Chauhan, a business administration student from Bristol, England, was in western India for her studies and was scheduled to fly back home. However, due to heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic in Ahmedabad’s city center, she arrived less than an hour before the flight’s departure—10 minutes after boarding had been scheduled to begin.
Chauhan had checked in online for her flight, but when she arrived at the Ahmedabad airport, airline staff reportedly denied her entry and did not let her complete the check-in process.
In an interview with BBC Gujarati, Chauhan recalled her frustration and disappointment: “We got very angry with our driver and left the airport in frustration,” she said. “We left the airport and stood at a place to drink tea and after a while, before leaving… we were talking to the travel agent about how to get a refund for the ticket.”
A Miraculous Escape
While at the tea stand, Chauhan received an unexpected and horrifying call—her flight had crashed. “This is totally a miracle for me,” she added. The news left her in shock, as she had just missed being on the plane by minutes.
According to BBC News, Chauhan’s boarding pass showed that she was assigned to seat 36G on the ill-fated flight. She had traveled 125 miles from Ankleshwar to Ahmedabad to catch the flight. Chauhan expressed regret over not leaving earlier, saying, “When I missed the flight, I was dejected. The only thing that I had in mind was, ‘If I had started a little early, I would have boarded the plane.'”
The Crash
The Air India AI171 flight was carrying 242 people and had taken off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. Tragically, the plane crashed a few minutes after takeoff, killing all passengers and crew members on board, except for one survivor. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
An Indian aviation official confirmed that one of the black boxes from the aircraft has been recovered from the wreckage. This will be crucial in determining the cause of the disaster.
A Devastating Tragedy
Chauhan’s story highlights both the randomness of life and the tragic loss of life in aviation accidents. While she missed her flight due to unavoidable traffic, the fact that she was spared from a fatal disaster is indeed a miracle. Her family and friends have expressed their gratitude that she was not on board, but the tragedy of losing so many lives remains.
As the investigation continues into the cause of the crash, Chauhan’s story will undoubtedly be remembered as an example of fate’s unpredictable hand.
