Teen Who Captured Viral Air India Crash Video Identified
For as long as he could remember, 17-year-old Aryan Asari had been captivated by airplanes.
Every time the distant hum of jet engines filled the air, he would rush outside in eager anticipation, eyes scanning the skies.
Watching planes fly overhead and leaving vapor trails across the sky was more than a hobby—it was a passion.
But that love has now turned into trauma.
On Thursday, June 13, Aryan was on the terrace of his father’s home in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, filming planes with his phone—a favorite pastime—when an unimaginable tragedy unfolded before his eyes.
An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner suddenly spiraled out of control and crashed in a fiery explosion, killing all 241 passengers and crew on board. Nearly 30 more lives were lost on the ground.
Aryan captured the horrific crash on video, a recording that has now become a critical piece of evidence for investigators probing one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters.
“I saw the plane coming down. It kept dipping and swaying from side to side before crashing. It happened right in front of me,” Aryan told BBC Gujarati in a shaken voice.
The video, circulated widely across news platforms and social media, catapulted the high school student into the national spotlight.
His father, Maganbhai Asari, says the attention has been overwhelming. “Journalists and media crews were outside our house all day and night. Everyone wanted to talk to Aryan.”
But for the teenager, the trauma runs deep. Once a proud plane-spotter, Aryan is now too terrified to even pick up his phone.
“He hasn’t touched it since. The fear lingers,” said Maganbhai, a retired army veteran now working with the Ahmedabad Metro.
Maganbhai recently moved into a modest rooftop room in a three-storey building near the airport—an ideal vantage point for his aviation-obsessed son.
Aryan, who had never left his native village near the Gujarat-Rajasthan border before, was visiting Ahmedabad for the first time, accompanying his sister, who came to the city for a police entrance exam.
“He had told me he wanted to see planes up close, buy a few new notebooks, and explore the city,” said Maganbhai. “It was supposed to be a happy visit.”
The siblings arrived just hours before the crash. After lunch, Maganbhai left for work while Aryan went up to the terrace with his phone.
He was filming the surroundings when he spotted the Air India flight in distress.
“It didn’t look right. The plane was jerking side to side and descending too fast,” Aryan recounted. He kept filming, unaware of the horror that was about to unfold.
Moments later, flames and smoke erupted, and the realization hit—he had just witnessed a major plane crash.
Panicked and shaken, Aryan called his father. “He was crying and asking, ‘Papa, what’s going to happen to me? I saw it crash.
I saw it!’” Maganbhai recalled. He tried to calm his son down and told him not to share the video.
But overwhelmed and confused, Aryan sent the clip to a few friends. Within hours, the footage had gone viral.
The next few days brought chaos. Neighbors, journalists, and officials flooded the family’s small home.
The police also visited, interviewing Aryan and taking his statement. “He was not detained, as some reports claimed,” Maganbhai clarified. “But he was questioned for a few hours.”
Recognizing the toll it was taking on his son, Maganbhai sent Aryan back to their village.
Although he’s now back in school, Aryan is still struggling emotionally. “His mother tells me he jumps every time his phone rings,” his father said.
Maganbhai is hopeful that, in time, his son will heal. But one thing seems certain: “I don’t think Aryan will ever run to look at airplanes again.”
Teen Who Captured Viral Air India Crash Video Identified