Vijay Rupani's photo inside Boeing cockpit months before Air India crash surfaces

Vijay Rupani was also seen interacting with Radhika Bhandari, the Dean of Aviation at the university.

Just two months before former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani died in the tragic crash of Air India flight AI 171 in Ahmedabad, he was seen inside the cockpit of another aircraft, keen to understand how it operates, according to NDTV.

Describing his experience, Rupani had written on social media: “Saw the working of the Boeing 737, Cessna, Zenith and Mig21 through their models and real ones at the Institute of Aeronautics.”

He was seen sitting in the right-hand seat, which is mostly occupied by the co-pilot. The former CM was also seen interacting with Radhika Bhandari, the Dean of Aviation at the university, while standing at the door of the aircraft.

Rupani's pictures from his visit to Western India Institute of Aeronautics in Ahmedabad's Indus University have resurfaced on the social media. Rupani was among the 242 passengers and crew onboard Air India’s London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI 171). The aircraft crashed shortly after it took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12.

Captain Umang Jani, who is a faculty member at the university, had shown Rupani around. He told  Indian Express, “Rupaniji visited the aircraft and we showed him the cockpit. He was very curious and asked us how the aircraft works. I tried to explain and answer his queries regarding the aircraft, the various controls in the cockpit and the functioning of the airliner.”

Rupani had first booked a ticket on the same Air India flight — AI 171 — for May 19, planning to visit London to see his wife and daughter. He was supposed to return on June 25.

Rupani, who was a member of the Rajya Sabha between 2006 and 2012, served as the chief minister from 2016 to 2021.