5 Commissions Fast-Turnaround Doc On Air India Flight 171 Tragedy

5 has greenlit a fast-turnaround 60-minute documentary from ITN Productions – made by teams in Leeds, London and Ahmedabad, that will delve into the circumstances behind the catastrophic crash of Air India Flight 171, the deadliest aviation disaster in more than a decade.

Flight 171 had just departed Ahmedabad en route to the UK when it crashed less than a minute after take-off. As the world reels from the shock, the documentary will piece together the final moments of the ill-fated flight to understand the consequences of the crash, and ask the difficult questions: what went wrong — and who should be held accountable?

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh — dubbed "the miracle passenger" — has spoken from his hospital bed about the crash, and how he was the sole survivor among 241 passengers and crew. The film will explore how Ramesh, seated in 11A near the emergency exit, defied the odds. Aviation experts will dissect the crash, examine how and why he survived, question how it could have happened, and scrutinise Boeing’s safety record in the wake of the tragedy.

Caroline Short, Head of UK Factual for ITN said: "There is huge public interest in understanding what went wrong and, crucially, who should be held accountable for the fatalities in this tragedy – and it was therefore vital for us to have a team on the ground in Ahmedabad to tell the most comprehensive version of events so far. While we’re moving at pace, duty of care remains paramount to us as ever — and we’re taking every step to treat the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives with the utmost sensitivity and respect."

Federico Ruiz Commissioning Editor at 5, said: "The world watched in horror as flight AI 171 went down. There’s not a single person out there who doesn't sympathise with the poor victims of this terrible tragedy, and we are all desperate to know what really happened. We are on the ground in India trying to uncover the truth, as investigators race to piece together the disastrous chain of events, and try to avoid another catastrophe."

itn.co.uk