In what can only be described as a miracle of unimaginable proportions, one man defied death itself when an Air India flight plunged from the sky in 1978, claiming the lives of all other 212 passengers and crew aboard.
The Day Everything Changed
On January 1st, 1978, Air India Flight 855 took off from Mumbai's Santa Cruz Airport, bound for Dubai. Among the passengers was Vishwas Raghunath Kumar, a young man embarking on what should have been a routine journey. Little did he know that within hours, he would become the subject of one of aviation's most remarkable survival stories.
The Boeing 747, named Emperor Ashoka, encountered catastrophic technical failures shortly after takeoff. The aircraft entered a steep dive and crashed into the Arabian Sea, approximately three kilometres off the coast of Bandra.
A Miracle Amidst Tragedy
Rescue teams arriving at the scene expected to find no survivors among the widespread wreckage. Yet against all odds, fishermen discovered Vishwas Kumar clinging to life amidst the debris. He had suffered severe injuries but was miraculously alive.
"I remember the impact, then darkness," Kumar recalled in later interviews. "When I regained consciousness, I was floating in water, surrounded by wreckage. I cannot explain why I survived when everyone else perished."
The Aftermath and Recovery
Kumar's survival came at a heavy price. He endured multiple surgeries and years of physical therapy to recover from his injuries. The psychological trauma of being the sole survivor haunted him for decades.
Medical experts remain baffled by his survival. The combination of impact forces, drowning risk, and exposure should have made it impossible for anyone to live through such a catastrophic event.
Legacy of Survival
Today, Vishwas Kumar's story serves as both a testament to human resilience and a sobering reminder of aviation safety. The crash investigation led to significant improvements in aircraft maintenance procedures and pilot training protocols.
His extraordinary tale continues to captivate aviation enthusiasts and survival experts alike, standing as one of the most incredible survival stories in modern aviation history.
