Fri Jun 13 23:42:32 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**Sole Survivor of Air India Crash Sparks Familiar Echoes Among Past Survivors**

**Ahmedabad, India – June 14, 2025** – The miraculous survival of Vishwashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor of Thursday’s Air India AI-171 flight crash near Ahmedabad, has captivated the world. While online communities express disbelief and fascination, Ramesh’s survival has also resurfaced painful memories for others who have endured similar tragedies. The crash claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew.

Ramesh, speaking from an Ahmedabad hospital, recounted the harrowing moments leading up to the crash, stating the aircraft seemed to struggle immediately after takeoff. He described the lights coming on, followed by a rapid acceleration and a feeling of the plane being unable to gain altitude before impact. He escaped when his side of the plane impacted a building and the door broke open.

“When I opened my eyes, I realized I was alive,” he said.

The incident brings to mind other instances of lone survivors of major air disasters. George Lamson Jr., the sole survivor of the 1985 Galaxy Airlines crash, expressed his deep empathy for Ramesh and the families of the victims. “My heart goes out to the survivor in India and to all the families waking up to loss today,” Lamson wrote online, adding that he maintains contact with other sole survivors and finds comfort in their shared experience.

Another survivor, Jim Polehinke, the co-pilot of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, grapples with survivor’s guilt. Despite investigators suggesting that a cockpit conversation did not cause the crash, Polehinke, who now uses a wheelchair, struggles to forgive himself for the accident.

Cecilia Crocker, survivor of the 1987 Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crash, carries both physical and emotional scars. The crash, which killed 154 people including her family, prompted her to get an airplane tattoo as a reminder of her past.

As investigators recover and analyze the flight data recorder from the Air India flight, aviation experts are raising questions about the aircraft’s flap settings during takeoff.

This story is developing and The Hindu will continue to provide updates as they become available.

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