Last Words of Air India Crew Member Who Died in Plane Crash Released by Daughter, Family Mourns

• Air India cabin crew member, Aparna Mahadik, was aboard the ill-fated Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s airport, India
• The aircraft, which was en route to London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed near Ahmedabad, exploding into flames, resulting in only one survivor from the 242 people aboard
• Aparna's daughter shared her mother’s last words as the family faced the heartbreaking reality of the crash

A senior cabin crew member of Air India, Aparna Mahadik, was aboard the Air India plane when it crashed into a medical college.

An Air India plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, India, on June 12, 2025.

The aircraft crashed near the airport in Ahmedabad, a western city in India, and exploded into flames.

The plane was headed for London’s Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom with 242 people on board, and only one survived the crash.

As reported by NDTV, Aparna’s young daughter shared the last words her mother told her.

Air India cabin crew member’s last words surface

Following the crash, Aparna’s family struggled to come to terms with the loss and remained in disbelief.

Aparna's young daughter, who had not been briefed about the full details of the incident, shared the last words of her mother.

The girl said:

“Mom said she'll be back.”

While the girl continued to dial her mother’s phone and hope for a response, her father went to the Ahmedabad hospital to submit DNA samples to identify his wife’s remains and other official formalities.

Aparna's sister-in-law, Aditi Tatkare, said the family had decided not to break the news to the child until the DNA results were confirmed.

The woman said:

“It's heartbreaking. Aparna was a strong, loving woman who balanced work and family with dedication. Just days ago, all the siblings reunited after years, even celebrating a niece's birthday. In a moment, everything turned upside down.

Tatkare spoke about Aparna's journey, sharing how she was raised by a single mother and was on the verge of getting a promotion.

She added:

“Even our Labrador hasn't been the same since the crash. She was the soul of the household."

Another cabin crew member who died was an airhostess, Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam, who called her family hours before she died in the deadly plane crash.

Her father shared her last conversation with her sister and details about her job at Air India. The 21-year-old air hostess had called her family hours before the crash, and her father shared what she said.

Clive Kunder Lecturer speaks

A physics lecturer, Professor Urvashi, who taught one of the pilots of the crashed plane spoke about her student.

While narrating what she knew about Pilot Clive Kunder, she cried. The Mumbai's Wilson College said that Clive was a brilliant and disciplined student.

On how the news of his death affected her, she said:

""It was really heartbreaking to talk about him. It's very difficult for me to digest the news also that such a lively young boy wanted to make a career, wanted to live his life very happily, very disciplined, very punctual, very intelligent boy. It was very difficult for me."

Expert warns against early grief management

As the family mourned the death of their daughter, a crew member in the Air India crash, clinical psychologist Samuel Atilola told Legit.ng that grief should not be managed or suppressed too early.

He told Legit.ng:

“Grief is a normal response to a painful loss and it is helpful to be able to fully express it the moment it happens while being surrounded by supportive and reassuring faces. Psychological techniques are not meant to be used to manage grief at the initial stage.”

Teenage boy killed by Air India crash

In a related story on Legit.ng, a teenage boy, Akash Patni, who was resting near his family's tea stall, was tragically among those killed in the crash that shook Ahmedabad in India.

When the crash happened, the boy’s mother, Sita, who was unaware that her son was sleeping nearby, managed to run.

Akash’s mother, Sita, survived with injuries and is in the ICU, unaware that her son died just metres away.

Joseph Omotayo, the HoD of the Human Interest Desk, contributed to this report, adding a statement from Clive Kunder's lecturer about how his death affected her.

Editorial assistant Ololade Olatimehin provided exclusive commentary from a clinical psychologist for this report.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng