A ‘Mayday’ distress call was given by the pilots of the Air India flight AI171, bound for London, that crashed shortly after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on Thursday, reports Hindustan Times.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that a "Mayday" distress call was issued by the flight shortly after it took off and minutes before it crashed into a locality – Meghaninagar.
According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport, the aircraft departed at 1.39 pm (0809 GMT) from runway 23. It gave a "Mayday" call, signalling an emergency, but thereafter there was no response from the aircraft.
Flightradar24, which tracks air traffic in real time, also said that it received the last signal from the aircraft seconds after it took off.
The Boeing 787 aircraft, en route to London Gatwick, took off from runway 23 at 1:39 pm with 242 individuals on board, including two pilots, 10 cabin crew members, and 230 passengers.
As per the DGCA statement, the ill-fated Air India aircraft failed to receive a response from Air Traffic Control following the distress signal.
While there has been no official confirmation yet on the number of casualties, a video captured the horrifying moment the aircraft crashed into a residential area. Eyewitness visuals showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky near the airport.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
