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‘All heart, kindest soul': Fatal Air India crash pilot Clive Kunder's friend pens soulful tribute
Clive Kunder was at the controls of the ill-fated Boeing 787 Dreamliner when it crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12.
Almost a month after Air India Flight AI171 crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, killing over 260 people, a close friend of the flight’s co-pilot Clive Kunder has penned a deeply emotional tribute on social media.
Calling him a “family” she wrote that flying aircrafts wasn't "just a job for him,” but it was "all heart." She remembered him as ‘the most beautiful, generous and kindest soul’
Clive Kunder was at the controls of the ill-fated Boeing 787 Dreamliner when it lost thrust moments after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12. The aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel, killing all but one of the 242 onboard and 19 people on the ground.
Kunder, a resident of Mumbai's Goregaon area, had clocked 3,403 hours of flying experience, including over 1,100 hours on the Dreamliner. Before becoming a pilot, he had worked as an aeronautical engineer.
He had trained at the Bombay Flying Club and later in Miami before joining Air India as First Officer.
What Air India co-pilot's friend said in her letter
Actor and animal activist Shivani M Singh remembered the 32-year-old pilot as a loving, grounded and extraordinary man who "was family" to her.
In her tribute shared with photos of the two together, Singh wrote: “Beloved Clive, There will be endless stories, memories that will painfully yet beautifully haunt me. That I was lucky to be loved by a man who was so complete and secure. Capable beyond his years and unconditionally loving.”
She added, “You were not a ‘guy’ in my life. You were my family. You were my joy. My most called person. The person who had every little detail about my life.
Clive Kunder’s passion for flying was evident to all who knew him, Singh recalled. “It wasn’t a job for you. It was all heart,” Shivani wrote. “How excitedly and in animated sense you’d describe each and every flight experience. I know how much you loved flying and I also know the mettle you were made of. It wasn’t a job for you. It was all heart.”
She remembered him as someone who made difficult things look effortless: “You made everything look like it came so naturally to you. Not a strain on the forehead.”
Singh also recalled a moment that now holds even deeper weight, “You did say it once ‘You can find a man but never someone who loves you like me.’ Today it fuels my fears for many reasons.”
“You are, were the best pilots of all time,” Singh wrote in her farewell note. “And even more, the most beautiful, generous and kindest soul.”
She concluded with: “I can’t possibly write all that I feel and a planet of memories I shall forever carry. But you know everything now. I will miss you until eternity.”
See the post here:
Final farewell in Mumbai
Clive Kunder was laid to rest on June 19 at the Sewri Christian Cemetery in Mumbai. Under grey skies and gentle rain, friends, family, and colleagues gathered beneath a gazebo to say their final goodbyes to the young pilot. The mood was solemn as prayers were offered for a man remembered equally for his skill in the cockpit and his compassion on the ground.
