Seventeen-year-old Aryan Asari (left), the teenager whose accidental video captured the catastrophic crash of Air India flight AI171 in Ahmedabad, is now at the heart of one of India’s worst aviation disasters – and struggling to cope with the trauma of what he witnessed.
Aryan, an airplane enthusiast from a village near the Gujarat-Rajasthan border, had travelled to Ahmedabad for the first time to visit his father, who works for the city’s metro service. On June 12, while standing on the terrace of his father’s rented home near the airport, Aryan began filming planes passing overhead to show his friends back home.
But what he filmed instead was the terrifying final moments of the London-bound Boeing Dreamliner 787-8. Within seconds, the aircraft, which had climbed just 650 feet after takeoff, spiralled downwards and crashed into a medical hostel complex in Meghani Nagar, erupting into a fireball.
Aryan’s short, shaky video, showing the plane’s descent and the fiery explosion, quickly went viral, becoming the first visual confirmation of the accident for the public and a vital piece of evidence for investigators.
Recalling the horror, Aryan told reporters: “I thought it was landing, but then it crashed. I felt very scared. My sister saw the video first. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
The impact on Aryan has been profound. According to his father Maganbhai Asari, the teen was so terrified that he couldn’t eat or sleep, and trembled each time he heard an aircraft overhead. He has since been sent back to his village to recover in a quieter environment.
“My son is traumatised,” his father told The Hindustan Times. “He keeps saying he doesn’t want to be here anymore because it feels dangerous. Reporters kept coming to our door. He couldn’t speak properly.”
The Ahmedabad Crime Branch confirmed Aryan was not detained but was called in with his father to give a witness statement. They praised his cooperation, clarifying that no charges were brought against him for filming the video.
As civil aviation authorities continue to investigate why the plane lost altitude so quickly, Aryan’s accidental footage remains critical. But for the young eyewitness, the brief hobby of plane-spotting has turned into a haunting memory that may linger for a long time.
