The father of captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who was the main pilot on the doomed Air India Flight 171, revealed the promise his son made to him just a week before the deadly crash

Picture of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal was the pilot operating the doomed Air India flight AI171

The captain of the doomed Air India plane that crashed and killed 241 passengers had made a heartbreaking promise to his dad just a week before the fatal air tragedy. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had over 8,200 hours of experience, was the main pilot operating the Boeing 787 Dreamliner before it plunged into a residential area yesterday.

The doomed flight, bound for Gatwick Airport, crashed just minutes after it took off from Ahmadabad Airport, in the north west of India. The pilot’s 82-year-old dad, who lives in a care home, revealed how he spoke to his captain son a week ago and shared what was said.

Image of the pilot's elderly dad
The pilot’s elderly dad said he spoke to his son a week before the crash

Sumeet’s elderly father said the pilot promised to take a break from work so he could spend more time with his family. Indian politician Dilip Mama Lande, a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, shared details of the heart-wrenching phone call.

The politician said: “A few days ago, he promised to take a break to spend time with his father.” The pilot’s dad is believed to have been a former official at the India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, according to the Times of India.

Shortly after take-off yesterday, the crew issued a “mayday” distress call, indicating an emergency situation. Captain Sumeet desperately said: “Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.”

Image of the plane crashed into a building
The plane crashed into a residential area just minutes after take off yesterday(Image: CENTRAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY FORC)

However, no further communication was received from the aircraft after the initial alert. Flight tracking service Flightradar24 reported that it lost the signal from the aircraft just seconds after it became airborne. “The signal from the aircraft was lost at 10:08 local time at 625 feet, less than a minute after take off,” the site tweeted.

Authorises confirmed 241 passengers died and only one person managed to survive the horrific tragedy. Lone survivor and British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, said he said in seat 11a, next to an emergency exit. He told the Hindustan Times that the section of the plane he was in landed on the ground, rather than hitting the roof of a building.

Image of rescuers carrying a victim's body away
241 people on the plane died yesterday(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

He said: “When I saw the exit, I thought I could come out. I tried, and I did. Maybe the people who were on the other side of the plane weren’t able to.” The survivor added: “I don’t know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes – the air hostesses, and two people I saw near me … I walked out of the rubble.”

The British man was onboard the doomed flight with his brother. The survivor previously said he heard a loud noise around 30 seconds after the plane took off.

Image of the fireball after the plane crashed
The flight took off from Ahmadabad Airport and was bound for Gatwick Airport

Vishwash’s other brother Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, spoke from outside the family home in Leicester and said: “We were just shocked as soon as we heard it. I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We’re devastated, just devastated. He said I have no idea how I exited the plane.”

His family confirmed they are flying to India tonight to be by the wounded flyer’s bedside. The family was able to book flights despite the decision by Air India to cancel more than a dozen planned flights this morning while continuing to pick up the pieces from Thursday’s incident