An elderly woman who had an encounter with the late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot of the ill-fated Air India flight, shared her emotional account of their last discussion.

Savitri Budhania, a local resident, recounted the conversation she had with Captain Sabharwal just before the tragic crash claimed his life.

In an emotional post, Savitri recalled the Saturday morning when Captain Sabharwal stopped by to collect prasad from her hands.

According to her, the pilot said he would soon be spending more time with his father, as he had only a few more flights left before retirement, Times of India reports.

The Sabharwals had been residents of Jal Vayu Vihar for over two decades, and their quiet and respectful nature had earned them many admirers in the community.

Savitri fondly remembered Captain Sabharwal's love for his 90-year-old father, with whom he would take leisurely evening strolls, hand in hand.

The image of the duo smiling and greeting neighbours remained etched in her memory.

"It was just Saturday. He took prasad from my hands right there. I told him, ‘Your father is too old to be alone.' And he said, ‘Just one or two more flights then I'm going to just be with Papa. Who knew this was going to be it. Whenever he wasn't flying, you'd find him walking hand in hand with his father in the evenings. They would smile at everyone, just wonderful quiet people," she lamented.

The loss of Captain Sabharwal was deeply felt by those who knew him, and the aviation community has been thrown into mourning.

Retired Captain S Krishnamurthy of the Indian Air Force, who lived in the same building as the Sabharwals, expressed his hope that the investigation would yield accurate results and lead to measures that would prevent such tragedies in the future.

Captain Krishnamurthy, who had a close view of Captain Sabharwal's life, having lived just a few floors away, added that the loss of life in the crash was a heavy blow to the community.

TikTok users mourned the unfortunate demise of the late Air India pilot.

@Caroline Filmer said:

"Now now this has really hit me hard, that poor pilot also all everyone on the plane, but hearing the pilot screaming for help is so painful to hear. RIP to all."

@HavingABadDayyy reacted:

"This is what I don't understand, pilots call mayday for emergency but what can anyone else do to help ? If a plane is going down no one from the tower can magically make it not crash."

@User_ number13295 said:

"They are not sharing any details about what happened in people making their own videos."

@Luckyman888 said:

"Ih yes and the air traffic controllers were all Europeans employed by India !!!"

@oliodipietra said:

"If we really know these words, its very clear what happened. No power, I can't imagine the anguish saying them. Taking off an heavy plane, you just need one thing: the full power of the engines."

@Sir Cos reacted:

"Oooh God, please forgive us our iniquities and have mercy on us. May their souls rest in Peace. Very painful ooh."

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that numerous personal belongings and luggage were recovered after the Air India flight 171 crash.

These properties have reportedly been secured and documented by authorities as part of the ongoing investigation.

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Source: Legit.ng