One was an experienced pilot getting ready to retire, and the other was a young co-pilot just starting his flying career. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder both tragically died on Thursday when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner they were flying crashed.
Sabharwal and kunder were among the 241 people who lost their lives in the deadly Air India crash in Ahmedabad
Both pilots were flying the Dreamliner to Gatwick Airport in London. The plane had 230 passengers and 10 crew members on board. Together, the two pilots had flown for a total of 9,300 hours. Captain Sabharwal alone had 8,200 hours of flying experience.
Captain Sabharwal Was Preparing To Leave His Job
Sumeet Sabharwal was well known for being calm and professional. People in the aviation world had a lot of respect for him. He lived in the Powai area of Mumbai.
“I am a retired Wing Commander and have worked with Air India staff in every kind of situation. Captain Sumeet was a very good and experienced pilot. His death is a huge loss for Air India,” said Sanjeev Pai, a family friend, while speaking to news agency PTI.
“He was such a calm and peaceful person, an excellent pilot. There were never any complaints about him, he was very professional in both his behaviour and in his dealings with people,” Pai added.
Sabharwal came from a family with strong ties to aviation.
His father, who once worked with the DGCA, and two of his cousins, who are also pilots, had all inspired him to become a pilot.
“Only a few days ago, he told his father that he would be quitting his job to look after him full-time,” said Shiv Sena MLA Dilip Lande, who visited the family to offer condolences, according to The Times of India report.
About Co-Pilot Clive Kunder
First Officer Clive Kunder had 1,100 hours of flying experience and came from a family with strong ties to aviation.
His mother worked as part of the flight crew, and Clive started his training with an aircraft maintenance course at the Bombay Flying Club in Juhu, Mumbai. He spent his early years in the Air India colony in Kalina, Mumbai, before his family later moved to Borivali, as reported by the Hindustan Times.
His sister, Kliene, spoke about the family’s pain and worry.
“My father Clifford and mother Rekha are with me in Sydney, and we have no information on the condition of my brother. We are leaving on Friday for Ahmedabad to find out how he is,” Kliene told the newspaper Hindustan Times.
Actor Vikrant Massey Mourns Clive Kunder’s Death
Actor Vikrant Massey also expressed sadness over the loss of Clive Kunder, who was a family friend.
“My heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the ones who lost their lives in the unimaginably tragic air crash in Ahmedabad today. It pains even more to know that my uncle, Clifford Kunder, lost his son, Clive Kunder, who was the first officer operating on that fateful flight. May God give strength to you and your family, uncle, and to all [those] deeply affected,” actor Vikrant Massey wrote on Instagram on Thursday.
Reports say the Air India Dreamliner, flown by Sumeet Sabharwal and Clive Kunder, started to lose control just minutes after reaching 625 feet in the air. The pilots had less than a minute to react. The plane crashed into a house near Ahmedabad airport and caught fire.
Even though Air Traffic Control (ATC) received a MAYDAY call, they did not hear anything else from the cockpit despite trying many times to contact the pilots again.
