Ahmedabad plane crash: Co-pilot Kundar was a good natured man who loved sports, say friends

Mumbai, Jun 13 (PTI) Friends of Clive Kundar, the co-pilot of the ill-fated Air India Ahmedabad-London flight, remembered him as good natured man fond of sports and are still to come to terms with his demise.

A day after AI-171 crashed minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 241 of the 242 persons on board, including 12 crew members, Kundar's friends said the scenes unfolding on television news channels continue to haunt them.

Clive and his family stayed in Jerome Apartment in Kalina in Santa Cruz before shifting to Borivali and then to Goregaon, one of his friends said.

Floyd D'Souza, a neighbour of the Kundars at Jerome Apartment, said Clive worked for a year as an aeronautical engineer before successfully chasing his dream to be a pilot.

"He and his family members were very good natured people. They were so happy when Clive became a pilot. When a common friend called me to tell me about the Ahmedabad plane crash and Clive, I was shocked. It is so painful when all the great memories keep coming back," D'Souza said.

Bonafacio Murzello, a friend of Clive's father Clifford, recollected seeing Clive play cricket in the building compound.

"We used to call his father Rambo as he was fond of bodybuilding. The family loved sports," he said.

Clive's sister, who works in Australia, is expected to reach Ahmedabad soon along with other kin, another friend informed. PTI ZA BNM