US EditionA Takeoff, a Mayday Call, and Two Pilots Who Never Made It Home
- Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff near Ahmedabad on June 14, 2025, killing 274 people including 241 aboard.
- The crash followed the pilot Sumeet Sabharwal's mayday call reporting loss of thrust and inability to lift the aircraft moments after takeoff.
- The jet failed to gain altitude and descended rapidly, crashing into a medical college hostel campus and bursting into flames under clear weather conditions.
- Investigators rely on black box data and cockpit recordings to determine the cause, considering possible technical malfunction, pilot input, bird strikes, or environmental factors like extreme heat.
- India’s aviation regulator ordered safety inspections and maintenance on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet, while international teams assist the ongoing detailed investigation.
22 Articles
22 Articles
'Thrust not achieved… Mayday!': This was Air India pilot's final call before deadly Ahmedabad plane crash
“Thrust not achieved… falling… Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” — those were the chilling last words from the cockpit of Air India Flight AI-171, seconds before the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing 274 people, including 241 on board. Ahmedabad police confirmed that the desperate distress call was the final transmission to Air Traffic Control (ATC) before all communi…
270 people lost their lives in the AI 717 plane crash. Pilot Sumit Sabharwal's last words were, 'I am not getting thrust.' On the other hand, the black box has been recovered to find out the cause of the accident and DGCA has made several tests mandatory for Dreamliner planes. Watch the video.
Thrust not achieved, falling, Mayday: Air India pilot's last messages before crash
The Air India pilot of the London-Ahmedabad flight sent distress messages to Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control (ATC) before the crash, sources said. Messages like "thrust not achieved", "falling", and "Mayday" were sent by the Air India pilot as the flight crashed into a medical hostel minutes after takeoff, sources told India Today TV. The flight took off at 1.37 pm and crashed minutes later, killing at least 270 people.
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