Pilot’s Final Cry Was ‘Mayday’: Aviation Ministry Confirms Smooth Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad Flight Before Tragedy

New Delhi, 14 June: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu on Saturday said the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, which left 241 people dead, has deeply shaken the entire nation.

Speaking at a press briefing, Naidu expressed his condolences, stating, “The last two days have been very difficult. The incident in Ahmedabad has shaken the entire country. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. Having personally lost my father in an accident, I can relate to the pain and anguish.”

The Minister rushed to the crash site soon after the incident and acknowledged the swift response of the Gujarat government. He emphasized that the recovery of the aircraft’s black box is crucial for understanding the cause of the crash. “The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which investigates aviation incidents, recovered the black box from the debris around 5 PM on Friday. Decoding it will offer valuable insight into the moments leading to the crash,” he said.

Samir Kumar Sinha, Secretary of the Civil Aviation Ministry, provided technical details of the incident. On June 12, Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing Dreamliner 787-8, took off from Ahmedabad for London’s Gatwick airport at 1:39 PM with 242 people on board, including 230 passengers, two pilots, and ten crew members. Within seconds of takeoff, the aircraft began losing altitude and issued a Mayday call to Ahmedabad ATC. A minute later, it crashed in Medhaninagar, about 2 km from the airport. Only one person survived.

Sinha added that the plane had earlier completed the Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad leg without issues. Due to the crash, Ahmedabad’s runway was closed until 5 PM, when limited operations resumed.

In response, the government has formed a high-level multidisciplinary committee to investigate the crash, review standard operating procedures, and suggest measures to prevent such tragedies in the future. Meanwhile, the AAIB has launched a formal probe to determine the exact cause behind the fatal crash.