Inside the Final Moments of Air India Flight AI-171: A Nation in Mourning
On June 12, 2025, tragedy unfolded in the skies above Ahmedabad when Air India Flight AI-171 crashed just minutes after takeoff. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, en route to London Gatwick, was carrying 242 passengers and crew when disaster struck.
In the moments before the crash, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal issued a desperate Mayday call, the universal cry for help, before all communication with Air Traffic Control abruptly ceased. Within five minutes of departure, the aircraft plunged into the heart of the densely populated Meghani Nagar neighborhood, triggering a catastrophic explosion and widespread devastation.
Emergency crews responded swiftly, but the impact was overwhelming. There were no survivors. The crash claimed not only the lives of everyone aboard but also caused significant casualties on the ground, including among students at a nearby medical college.
Initial flight data showed the aircraft made a sharp, brief ascent to approximately 625 feet before disappearing from radar, prompting urgent scrutiny of the flight’s final moments. Investigators are now working tirelessly to recover the black boxes and determine what caused this unprecedented tragedy—the first recorded crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a model long considered among the safest in modern aviation.
The disaster has shaken both India and the global community. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and King Charles III have all offered heartfelt condolences, describing the loss as “heartbreaking” and “devastating.”
As the world grieves, relief operations are underway, with Air India and government agencies providing critical support to the families of the victims. The investigation is ongoing, and the search for answers continues as a stunned world mourns one of the darkest days in recent aviation history.