Clive Kunder was a 34-year-old First Officer with Air India, serving on Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that tragically crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The flight was en route to London Gatwick and carried 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. All but one passenger perished in the crash. The sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was seated in seat 11A and managed to escape from the wreckage.
At the time of the crash, Clive Kunder had accumulated over 1,100 flying hours, just 400 hours shy of the 1,500 required to qualify as a captain for commanding a commercial aircraft. He had recently begun flying long-haul international flights and had received specialized training in emergency and international operations.
Kunder hailed from a family with strong roots in coastal Karnataka. His mother, Rekha Kunder, had served as an Air India flight attendant for over 33 years. Clive himself was passionate about aviation from a young age, enrolling in the Bombay Flying Club’s College of Aviation with the support of his parents. He was remembered by relatives as a compassionate and dedicated individual who had a deep love for flying.
Actor Vikrant Massey, who was a close family friend of Clive Kunder, expressed his grief over the loss, stating that it was even more painful due to their close relationship. Massey clarified that Kunder was not his cousin, as initially reported, but the son of his uncle’s close friend.
The crash, which occurred around 1:43 p.m. local time, resulted in the deaths of all 242 people on board. The aircraft failed to gain thrust shortly after departure, as indicated in a mayday call — “Thrust not achieved. Falling” — before plummeting and exploding near a residential area, killing around 30 on the ground, including medical students at a nearby hostel.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating the incident. The crash has deeply affected the families and communities involved, with many expressing the need for support and assistance during this difficult time.