MAYDAY distress call was given by Air India pilot before crash in Ahmedabad

An Air India aircraft carrying 242 passengers crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon, following a MAYDAY distress call, according to an official statement by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
“As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from Runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY call to ATC, but thereafter no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. The aircraft, immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site,” the DGCA said in its preliminary statement.
The statement also gave details of the pilots flying the plane. “On 12th Jun, 2025, M/s Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB while operating flight AI-171 from (Ahmedabad to Gatwick) has crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad. There were 242 person on board the aircraft consisting of 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew. The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is a LTC with 8200 Hrs of experience. The copilot had 1100Hrs of flying experience.”