The pilot of the doomed Air India flight out of Ahmedabad made a chilling Mayday call just moments before the aircraft plummeted into a doctors’ hostel, killing hundreds.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a seasoned aviator with over 8,200 hours of flight time, could be heard warning of critical engine failure in a desperate final transmission. “Mayday […] no thrust, losing power, unable to lift,” he said over the radio.
Tragically, there was nothing he could do to prevent disaster.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route to London Gatwick, had only gained a few hundred feet in altitude when it appeared to lose power. The two pilots fought with the controls for 17 agonising seconds before the jet slammed into buildings on the ground.
The crash has left a trail of devastation, with police confirming more than 290 fatalities. The aircraft exploded into a fireball after impact, killing nearly everyone onboard and several people on the ground.
the back of AN Air India plane after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad (Image: AFP)
Only one person survived — a 40-year-old British father, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
Air India confirmed on Thursday night that of the 242 people onboard — 232 passengers and 10 crew members — just one made it out alive.
Heartbreaking scenes unfolded as names of the victims began to emerge, including dozens of British nationals, 169 Indian citizens, a Canadian, and seven Portuguese travellers.
The aircraft lost contact with air traffic control mere seconds after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Flight tracking site Flightradar revealed the last signal was logged less than a minute into the flight, at a maximum altitude of just 625ft.
Disturbing CCTV footage shows the moment the ill-fated jet lifted off, only to begin a deadly descent seconds later, ending in a massive explosion.
Rescue officials work at the site where Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area near the (Image: AFP)
Among the British victims were a family of three from Gloucester: 36-year-old recruitment consultant Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa, 30, and their four-year-old daughter Sara.
A post from the Gloucester Muslim Community read: “We are profoundly heartbroken by the devastating loss of life. During this moment of overwhelming sorrow, our hearts go out to all those left behind.”
Also among the victims were 55-year-old Raxa Modha from Wellingborough, Northants, and her two-year-old grandson, Rudra.
Wellingborough’s mayor Raj Mishra paid tribute, saying: “May their memories be a blessing, and may we come together to support one another in this time of grief.”
