Two days after the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, an audio recording has surfaced showing the pilot’s last message to Air Traffic Control (ATC). Senior Captain Sumit Sabharwal made a distress call just a minute or so after take-off. In the five-second recording, he can be heard saying, “MAYDAY… MAYDAY… MAYDAY… NO POWER… NO THRUST… GOING DOWN…”
The London-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner departed from Ahmedabad airport at 1:30 pm IST on June 12 with 242 aboard — 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew members, and 2 pilots — to London Gatwick.
Air India Crash Claims 241 Lives, Including Former Gujarat CM
Seconds after takeoff, the plane lost altitude at a very fast rate and crashed into a hostel building of a medical college in Ahmedabad’s Meghani Nagar. The crash killed some medical students and residents of the area, as there was thick black smoke covering the crash scene. A huge rescue mission was initiated immediately.
Only one passenger, a British national of Indian origin, survived the crash. Among the deceased was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was on board.
Black Box Recovered
Investigators recovered one of the aircraft’s black boxes late Thursday. However, authorities are still searching for the second black box and the digital video recorder (DVR), both critical to understanding what caused the crash.
Central organizations, such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA), have also visited the crash site. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has established a high-level multi-disciplinary investigation committee to investigate the cause and evaluate the current Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
The probe will not just look into possible technical breakdowns but also assess maintenance records of the aircraft, flight records, and the response of the crew. Officials hope to compile preliminary findings quickly to further improve aviation safety measures.