Moments before disaster struck, a series of frantic messages from the cockpit of Air India flight AI-171 painted a grim picture of what was unfolding. “Thrust not achieved,” “falling,” and “communication line during this transmission very weak,” were among the last words transmitted by the crew, according to various reports. The final, chilling call: “Mayday, Mayday…” was issued just before the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college hostel in a densely populated residential area near Ahmedabad airport.
Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner Crash Timeline: 36 Seconds from Take-off to Impact
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the aircraft took off from Ahmedabad airport at 1:39 PM. Within 36 seconds, the plane began losing altitude, unable to ascend beyond 650 feet. Despite the pilot’s urgent distress message to Air Traffic Control (ATC), there was no further communication. The plane had already crashed by then.
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“The plane took off at 1.39 pm and, within a few seconds, after reaching a height of about 650 feet, it started sinking, i.e., it started losing height. The pilot informed Ahmedabad ATC that it was a ‘mayday’, i.e., a full emergency. When ATC tried to contact, it did not receive a response,” said S.K. Sinha, Secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation, during a press briefing.
Catastrophic Impact Air India Plane Crash: Fireball Engulfs Hostel, Death Toll Rises to 274
The Dreamliner, heavily loaded with fuel, struck the student hostel in Medhaninagar, roughly two kilometres from the airport. The impact and ensuing explosion created a massive fireball, killing nearly everyone on board and many on the ground. Of the 242 people on the flight—230 passengers, 10 crew members, and 2 pilots—only one person survived: an Indian-origin British national.
The total death toll currently stands at 274, including casualties from the crash site. This makes it the deadliest aviation disaster in India since May 2010, when an Air India Express flight from Dubai overshot the runway in Mangaluru and plunged into a gorge, killing 158 people.
Authorities React on Air India Plane Crash: “Information Received Around 2 PM”
“We received information the plane from Ahmedabad to Gatwick London had crashed. We immediately got detailed information about this through Ahmedabad ATC,” Mr. Sinha said, adding that authorities were officially alerted around 2 PM, approximately 20 minutes after the crash.
The ill-fated flight was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, with First Officer Clive Sundar assisting in the cockpit.
Aircraft Cleared for Flight, Black Box Recovered
Amid questions surrounding the aircraft’s airworthiness, the Aviation Ministry clarified that the plane had successfully completed the Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad leg without any reported issues. The aircraft’s black box has been located and is expected to be crucial in uncovering what led to the crash.
Meanwhile, over 100 personnel, including 40 engineers, are working at the crash site to clear the wreckage.
While investigations are still in the early stages, aviation experts suggest possible causes could include thrust failure in both engines or a bird strike. Visuals from the crash site showed horrific scenes of bodies being recovered and severely burned survivors being rushed to a nearby civil hospital.
