This Week in Explainers: Bird hit, engine failure? What could have caused Air India plane crash?

Air India flight AI171 took off from Ahmedabad airport and crashed in 30 seconds, ramming into a medical college hostel. What could have gone wrong? We analyse in our weekly roundup of the stories from around India read more
Wreckage of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner lies at the site where the Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12. The death toll has mounted to 274, Including 241 onboard and those on the ground. Reuters
It's been a tragic week for India. The Ahmedabad plane crash, which killed 241 on board, is one of the worst aviation disasters in India's history. It was a double tragedy as the aircraft rammed into a medical college hostel, killing at least 30 on the ground. As the city grappled with the disaster, there came news of a miracle survivor.
Now, two days on, many questions remain unanswered. What caused the flight to go down? Is the Boeing Dreamliner faulty? We have been tracking this story.
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Before the flight crash, the big story that grabbed headlines was the Meghalaya honeymoon murder. In a shocking twist, it turned out that the wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, had planned her husband's killing along with her boyfriend. The case has come with many twists and turns.
In another tragedy, four commuters died while falling off an overcrowded local train in Mumbra, on the outskirts of Mumbai, on Monday (June 9). Packed trains have become synonymous with the city. Why does the problem continue to persist?
In other news, Modi 3.0 has completed its first year. Earlier in the week, all eyes were on India's Shubanshu Shukla, who was set to become the first India to travel to the ISS. However, the Axiom-4 mission has been deferred following a technical glitch .
We talk about all this and more in our weekly roundup.
1. It seemed business as usual at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon. But a horror that unfolded in 30 seconds changed that. A London-bound Air India flight crashed soon after takeoff, ramming into a medical hostel. There were 242 people on board, including the pilot, and the cabin grew; only one miraculously survived. At least 20 people were killed on the ground. Here's how the tragedy unfolded .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the site where an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, crashed during take-off from Ahmedabad on the previous day, in Ahmedabad, India, June 13, 2025. PIB via Reuters
2. So what brought down the Air India plane? Was it a bird hit, or did the engines of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner fail? While an investigation has been launched, here's what aviation experts say .
3. Who was on that ill-fated Flight AI171? Among those killed was former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani , who was heading to London to meet his family. There are several other heartbreaking stories – of a pilot who was set to retire , a young flight attendant from Manipur , a doctor couple and their children .
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Daksha Patni mourns for her relative Akash Patni, 14, who died when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft crashed during take-off from an airport, outside the postmortem room at a hospital, in Ahmedabad. Reuters
4. This week, we saw a major twist in the case of the Indore couple who went missing in Meghalaya during their honeymoon. Days after the husband, Raja Raghuvanshi's body was found, the police arrested his wife, Sonam. Turns out, she planned the murder with her boyfriend and his three friends. Here's how the case was cracked .
5. The case continues to unravel. It was only days after her marriage that Sonam and her boyfriend, Raj Kushwaha, planned Raja's murder. While Sonam led her husband to the killers , it was Raj who instructed them over the phone from Indore.
Sonam Raghuvanshi plotted the murder of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya
6. Overcrowded local trains in Mumbai are not news… unless there is a tragedy. On Monday (9 June), four people died after they fell off the train. It has put a spotlight on a shocking statistic – on average, seven people die every day in this commute. Are there not enough locals? Why are so many travellers forced to risk their lives? This story takes a look .
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Panic-stricken people at Mumbra Railway Station after several passengers reportedly fell from a moving train, resulting in four deaths and multiple injuries, in Thane, on June 9. PTI
7. Believe it or not, Indian women are having fewer babies than required to maintain a stable population. Yes, the fertility rate has declined to 1.9 births per woman, below the replacement level of 2.1, according to a recent United Nations demographic report. But is this a reason for concern for the world's most populous nation? We explain .
Patients wait outside a primary health care centre in Belwa village, Kishanganj district, Bihar. India's fertility rate has fallen to 1.9, which is below the replacement level of 2.1. File photo/Reuters
8. India's Shubhanshu Shukla was set to make history this week. He would have been the first Indian to travel to the ISS for the Axiom-4 mission. But the space launch was delayed, first because of the weather and then an oxygen leak. While we wait for a new date from SpaceX, let's look at Shukla's journey, from test pilot to astronaut .
Axiom-4 astronauts, commander Peggy Whitson of US, pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, mission specialist Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and mission specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary, are pictured on the countdown video clock, as the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stands at Launch Complex 39-A after a delay of its mission to the International Space Station, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, June 9. Reuters
9. Moving on to politics. Modi 3.0 turned one on June 9. So, what did the third term of the Modi government achieve? A lot. From Operation Sindoor to economic development, India has many reasons to cheer. Here is our report card .
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That's all from us for now. Here's hoping the coming week is less gloomy. Have a good Sunday.

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