A horrific aviation tragedy unfolded in Gujarat on Thursday as Air India’s London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Flight AI-171, crashed just minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft, carrying 242 individuals, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members, plummeted outside the airport perimeter at approximately 1:44 PM.

AirIndia plane crashed in a residential area. The nearby buildings has caught fire. #planecrash pic.twitter.com/OU6IsXKxAE

— Mohit Chauhan (@mohitlaws) June 12, 2025

The most harrowing revelation? The pilot’s final act was an emergency Mayday call, an internationally recognised distress signal indicating an immediate life-threatening situation.

Terrible news coming out of #India as #AI171, an Air India 787 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick appears to have crashed on take off. pic.twitter.com/lDiye4pFXU

— Foxtrot (@____Foxtrot____) June 12, 2025

Piloted by Captain Sumit Sabharwal, a seasoned professional with over 8,200 hours of flight experience, and assisted by First Officer Clive Kunder, the aircraft departed from runway 23 at 1:39 PM. Within moments of takeoff, Captain Sabharwal sent out a desperate Mayday signal to the nearest Air Traffic Control tower.

Air India’s Boeing 787-8 struggles to gain altitude shortly after departing Ahmedabad bound for London. It seems to stall and crashes into a residential area. The plane, a Boeing 788 was never involved in a fatal crash until today. pic.twitter.com/ppnLTpirQu

— Josh Cahill (@gotravelyourway) June 12, 2025

But chillingly, it was the last communication received. Mere seconds later, the plane vanished from radar and was seen engulfed in flames near the outskirts of the airport. There was no further transmission, no response—only the devastation that followed.

In aviation, a Mayday call is the pilot’s ultimate SOS. It is used strictly when the aircraft is in grave danger, think engine failure, onboard fire, collision risk, or hijacking. The term is repeated three times, “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday,’ to eliminate any doubt about its seriousness.

#BREAKING: AIR INDIA FLIGHT #AI171 CRASHES IN AHMEDABAD SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF
Following reports of a crash involving Air India flight #AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (reg: VT-ANB) lost signal at 08:08:51 UTC, just seconds after takeoff.… pic.twitter.com/RKFhipU1ll

— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) June 12, 2025

Once issued, ATC immediately activates emergency protocols: preparing the runway for emergency landing, dispatching fire brigades, and alerting medical teams. It is a race against time.

Interestingly, the word “Mayday” stems from the French phrase m’aider, which translates to “help me.” A lesser-used distress signal, “Pan-Pan,” is broadcast for less severe but still urgent issues. But this was not one of those cases—this was full-blown crisis.

The aircraft involved in the Air India #AI171 crash is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with registration number VT-ANB and serial number 36279.

First flight of the aircraft was on 2013-12-14 and it was delivered to Air India in January 2014. pic.twitter.com/gC1Mk5WoCa

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) June 12, 2025

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has confirmed the aircraft’s timeline and the Mayday transmission. With recovery efforts underway and black box data being analysed, the mystery surrounding the sudden crash of a flight that had barely taken off continues to haunt both authorities and citizens alike.