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'If I record, another plane may crash': Air India tragedy continues to haunt teen who caught it on camera

From Hindustan Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • An 18-year-old named Aryan Asari captured the final moments of the Air India crash on June 12, 2025, which killed 260 people.
  • The incident has deeply affected Asari, who is now afraid to board planes, fearing another crash if he records one.
  • Asari, now known as the "Aeroplane Boy," became a local sensation after his video was widely shared, though he still struggles with the trauma.

One year after the tragic Air India crash that claimed 260 lives shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, 18-year-old Aryan Asari remains haunted by the event he inadvertently captured on camera. The AI-171 plane's disaster on June 12, 2025, has left a profound scar on the young man from Gujarat's Aravalli district.

I went to Ahmedabad for the first time and saw a plane from such a close distance. I took out my mobile phone and started recording because I wanted to show it to my friends back in the village.

— Aryan AsariRecounting the moments leading up to the Air India plane crash.

Asari, visiting his father in Ahmedabad, was on a terrace when he saw the plane flying at a low altitude. He decided to record it on his phone to show his friends back home. "Suddenly, the plane started coming down and then crashed into a huge fireball. I was terrified. I had never imagined something like that could happen in front of my eyes," he recalled.

Suddenly, the plane started coming down and then crashed into a huge fireball. I was terrified. I had never imagined something like that could happen in front of my eyes.

— Aryan AsariDescribing the moment the Air India plane crashed.

The experience has instilled a deep fear in Asari, to the point where he now believes another plane might crash if he records its flight. He has stopped filming airplanes and admits he lacks the courage to board one, despite a desire to travel abroad. His video quickly made him a local celebrity, earning him the nickname "Aeroplane Boy," but the trauma continues to affect him daily.

After that incident, I stopped filming aeroplanes on my mobile phone. Now I am scared that if I record a plane, it may also crash.

— Aryan AsariExplaining the psychological impact of witnessing the crash.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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