Standing on the terrace of a three-storey building close to the airport, Aryan Asari watched in wonder as the planes flew 'right over his head', seemingly within touching distance. The Class 12 student, who had come to visit his father in Ahmedabad's densely packed Laxminagar neighbourhood just two days back, decided to shoot a video of one of these planes and send it to his friends back home in a village in Aravalli district.

It was this very video — showing the Air India Dreamliner 787-8 struggling to stay in the air and crashing in a massive fireball — that has now become a crucial visual clue for investigators attempting to decode the disaster. But what the 17-year-old witnessed through his lens has left him traumatised and struggling to sleep at night.

Aryan, who gave his statement to police on Saturday, told The Indian Express: 'I had never heard the loud sounds that accompany airplanes taking off or seen a plane flying so low. My father had told me about it… My friends back in our village wanted to see how they appear in the sky. So I decided to take a few videos that afternoon, right after we finished lunch. I did not imagine I would capture a crash.'

He said when the Air India plane began to sink, he thought he was capturing a landing. 'I was confused as it had appeared to be taking off and then began wobbling… When it ended up in a ball of fire with a deafening explosion, I got scared.'

He immediately sent the video to his father, a retired army officer who works as a supervisor with the Ahmedabad Metro. Aryan's family said the boy had been left scarred by not just the plane crash, but also calls from investigators.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch said that police had recorded Aryan's statement. Police also clarified that they had not detained him but simply sought details of what he had seen. A family member said: 'He was not able to sleep on Thursday after he saw the news and realised what he had filmed was the final moments that would haunt the families of 242 victims on the plane and more from the ground. He was also scared when his video became public and the police called him to share the details of the video.'

Aryan had dreams of travelling in a plane. Now, he feels, he 'will never sit in an aeroplane'.

Raj Singh, 16, who was with Aryan when he shot the video, said that this was the first time the boy and his sister were visiting the rented apartment where their father had been staying for the past six months. 'He came around noon and was amazed when he saw planes fly so close overhead,' Raj, who resides in the same building, told The Indian Express. 'When we saw the ball of fire, he rushed back to his room. He did not go to the spot where the plane crashed, something most of us did.'

Sunita Singh, another building resident, said: 'His father told him to stay indoors and not talk to anyone. From early morning on Saturday, mediapersons started coming in even as the father was away at work. He returned and asked the media to leave. He told them their son was scared ever since the incident.'

The sudden spotlight on the area after Aryan's video went viral meant scores of visitors, including police and mediapersons, descended on Laxminagar. Through open doors and windows in the crowded neighbourhood, residents could be heard discussing their narrow escape.

Groups of residents sitting around the corner, while guiding visitors to Aryan's house, spoke about being habituated to the noise and shadows of planes flying over every few minutes.

Gopal Parmar, a resident, said: 'Until Thursday, the sound of planes flying above our homes was a familiar background. But after Thursday, each plane flying above the head is causing a little anxiety… It will be a few days before we go back to normal.'

The area is also home to many class-4 ground staff working for different airlines. A resident, sporting the t-shirt of an airline, said: 'The settlement is close to the airport and a convenient location for renting a house… Many of us work as janitors, loading staff and ground staff at airlines.'

A woman overhearing the conversation said: 'Children are always excited to watch the planes… Some of them try to chase shadows. This was the first time in about 15 years of our stay that we heard and saw what a plane crash looks like… We will never look at these planes the same way again.'