A father who had just scattered his wife’s ashes was among the victims of the Air India crash, leaving his two young children orphans. The plane, Flight 171, was carrying 242 people when it struck a medical college hostel shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in western India. This resulted in the death of 29 people on the ground, bringing the total number of fatalities to 270. Only one passenger, a British man from Leicester, survived the crash. Among the victims was Arjun Patoliya, who had visited India to fulfill his wife Bharti’s final wish of being buried in her hometown. Bharti had passed away just over two weeks prior after a battle with cancer. A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for their two children, who have been left without parents. The fundraiser has already surpassed a quarter of a million pounds, and all the money raised will go directly into a legal trust for the girls’ needs.
Indian authorities have recovered the digital flight data recorder, one of the plane’s two black boxes. This box holds data on engine and control settings, which will help determine if there was a loss of engine power or lift after takeoff. The investigation will initially focus on the engine, flaps, and landing gear. A bird-hit is not being considered as a key area of focus, and anti-terror experts are also involved in the investigation process. There is currently no information on the cockpit voice recorder, another crucial black box that will provide more insight into the cause of the crash. The country’s civil aviation regulator has ordered Air India to conduct additional maintenance and enhanced safety inspections on its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft equipped with General Electric’s GEnx engines.
Source: https://news.sky.com/story/father-returning-home-after-scattering-wifes-ashes-among-air-india-victims-13383517
