‘Broken’ After Seat 11A: Sole Survivor of Air India Crash Speaks of PTSD, Pain and Fight for Answers

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh: the man who survived seat 11A

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 39, says constant flashbacks and chronic pain have left him largely confined to his bedroom and feeling 'broken' after surviving the June crash of Air India flight AI171.

Ramesh, who lives in Leicester, was the only person to walk away from the wreckage when the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner came down shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on 12 June. The disaster killed 241 passengers — including 53 Britons — and 19 people on the ground, 260 victims in all. His brother Ajay was among those who died.

'God gave me life but took all my happiness... It completely brought down my family,' Ramesh told reporters in a rare interview.

Video of him barefoot and covered in blood emerging from a section of fuselage that had been severed from the main body was broadcast worldwide. He had been seated in 11A and crawled through the breach before the aircraft exploded on impact.

Four months after the crash, Ramesh says he suffers near-constant flashbacks, sleeps only three to four hours a night, and finds the memories of the accident too painful to discuss in detail. He reports ongoing pain in his leg, shoulder, knee and back that prevent him from working or driving, and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Radd Seiger, his spokesman and adviser, described Ramesh as 'existing rather than living' and accused Air India of abandoning the survivor while 'hiding behind lawyers.' Seiger says Ramesh now struggles even to leave the house to take his four-year-old son to school.

Air India has provided an interim payment to Ramesh equal to those offered to bereaved relatives pending a final settlement. Seiger questioned why the airline would offer the same interim amount to everyone when the sole survivor's ongoing medical and psychological needs are likely to be substantially greater. He says three requests for a direct meeting with the airline have been refused; an offer to meet representatives of the Tata group, Air India's parent company, has been extended.

A preliminary investigation by Indian authorities, published in July, found that both fuel-control switches moved to the 'cut-off' position seconds after take-off, causing a catastrophic loss of thrust. A recovered cockpit voice recording includes an exchange in which one pilot asks why the fuel supply was 'cut off' and the other replies that he had not. The finding has raised questions about whether one pilot acted deliberately, and investigations are continuing.

Air India told PA it is 'deeply conscious' of its responsibility to support Ramesh and the families affected and said it has offered to arrange a meeting with his representatives. The airline said care for victims and families remains its 'absolute priority.' The Telegraph has approached Air India for further comment.

Context and next steps: The crash remains under investigation. Ramesh and his advisers are seeking a meaningful dialogue with the airline about appropriate long-term support and compensation for his physical and psychological injuries.