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“Thrust not achieved… falling… Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” These were the last words from Air India Flight AI171’s cockpit, moments before the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board. According to a Times of India report, the chilling distress call from pilot Sumeet Sabharwal was received by Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control (ATC) seconds before all communication ceased.
‘Mayday’ is an internationally recognised distress call communicated over radio for a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate action.
Sumeet, a veteran pilot with over 8,200 flying hours, reported a loss of thrust at just 625 feet of altitude and a descent rate of -475 feet per minute. “Thrust not achieved… falling… Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” he radioed ATC, just before all communication ceased.
The flight, bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, carried 242 people — 230 passengers, 10 crew members, and 2 pilots. Only one passenger, a British national of Indian origin, survived and is currently hospitalised. The plane which crashed into a medical hostel building killed several people on the ground. As of the night of June 14, the total death toll stood at 270.
According to multiple reports, the flight had an abnormally long takeoff roll on the 3.5 km runway of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, hinting at possible inadequate thrust during liftoff. “The longer runway roll hints at a possibility of the aircraft not having adequate thrust for take-off,” a source close to the probe had told the Times of India.
However, authorities await a full analysis of the black box data to determine the exact cause of the sudden thrust failure that doomed Flight AI171. The investigation is ongoing.
This tragic crash marks the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft’s commercial debut in 2011. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) recovered the flight’s black box 28 hours after the incident, said Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu.
Following the crash, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced enhanced safety inspections across Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet starting Sunday, June 15.
The term 'Mayday' was first used in 1923 as a way for flights to communicate over radio about mishaps in the air. The earlier term in use was ‘SOS’, another internationally recognised distress call for help.