A man who lost three relatives in the June 2025 AI-171 tragedy has made a striking claim about what he allegedly witnessed in the mortuary in Ahmedabad, saying he saw the captain of the ill-fated flight in a seated posture still appearing to hold the aircraft controls.
The account has resurfaced amid renewed discussion about the final moments in the cockpit and the broader circumstances surrounding the crash.
Romin Vohra, from Gujarat’s Kheda district, said he lost his brother, niece and aunt in the disaster and visited the mortuary at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on June 13 to help identify their remains. He claimed that during this visit he also came across the body of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal.
Speaking to PTI over the phone on Tuesday, Vohra, who works as a lab technician, said he was granted access due to his medical background. “My brother, my brother’s daughter and my aunt died in the crash. I had gone to identify them a day after the crash. Since I am from the medical field and have some contacts, I got permission to go inside the mortuary,” he said.
He further described the captain’s body as being kept separately and positioned unusually. “At that time, the body was stiff and in a sitting position, as if he was still on his seat,” he claimed. He added, “His hands were holding the steering (control yoke or column). His legs were bent the way a seated person’s legs remain bent, while his arms were stretched forward,” Vohra added.
Responding to further questions, he reiterated, “Yes, the steering was in his hands.” He also said the pilot was identifiable through his uniform, stating, “The captain’s uniform was there. There was only one captain’s body there, which was that of Sumeet Sabharwal sir. I recognised him from the uniform,” he said.
Vohra added that burn injuries appeared uneven, saying, “He was burnt more on the backside. The front side and face were not burnt that much. I do not remember every detail exactly, but one could clearly tell it was the captain’s body,” he said. He also noted that he later became more certain after viewing publicly available images of the pilot, explaining, “Being from the medical field, we can identify bodies from height, weight and physical structure. Later, when I saw photographs of Captain Sabharwal, I became sure that the body I saw was indeed his,” he said.
He also described the emotional toll on families waiting outside the hospital following the tragedy. “At that time, our own tragedy was so huge that we were not in a condition to speak to anyone. For 10 days, I stayed put outside the hospital on the footpath in terrible condition while waiting for the bodies,” he said, adding that DNA confirmation was eventually used before the remains were handed over.
The incident has also drawn attention from legal representatives abroad. US-based Chionuma Law, which says it represents families of 115 victims, has urged caution against drawing conclusions and called for a deeper probe. The firm stressed that “The reported account that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was found in a seated position, still gripping the yoke, raises serious questions that cannot be ignored,” said Ayush Rajpal, case manager at the firm.
He further stated, “A pilot who is holding the controls until the final moment should not be judged by speculation, especially when he is no longer alive to defend himself,” and added that “Every technical, mechanical, electrical and human factor” connected to the crash must be examined by “truly independent experts” before blame is assigned.
“The families deserve the truth, not a quick conclusion that protects powerful companies or institutions,” the statement added.
The London-bound Air India flight AI-171 had taken off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, 2025, before crashing into a hostel complex in Meghaninagar shortly after departure. The disaster killed 241 passengers onboard and 19 people on the ground, with one survivor reported.
The aircraft was operated by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal as pilot-in-command alongside co-pilot Captain Clive Kunder.
Victims’ remains, many severely damaged, were sent to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for identification through DNA analysis.
A preliminary investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released in July 2025 indicated that fuel control switches were turned off moments after take-off. The cockpit voice recording reportedly captured one pilot questioning why the switches were cut, while the other denied doing so. The report also noted a rapid drop in engine performance as fuel supply was interrupted.
In November 2025, the Supreme Court of India observed that no individual pilot should be pre-judged in connection with the crash and urged emotional restraint from the late captain’s elderly father, emphasizing that blame had not been assigned.
