The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the captains of the London-bound Air India flight gave a mayday call soon after it took off from Ahmedabad Airport. The captains did not respond to calls from the Air Traffic Control later, DGCA said.
In a statement, DGCA said, "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 people on board the aircraft, consisting of two pilots and 10 cabin crew. The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar."
The DGCA said Capt Sabharwal had 8200 hours of experience and first officer Kundar had 1100 hours of flying experience. "As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST 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. 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 civil aviation authority said in a statement.
Also read
- What led to the tyre burst of Jeddah-Kozhikode Air India Express flight
- What happened to the Gujarati couple and their 3-year-old who were kidnapped in Libya on an illegal route to Portugal?
- Air India twisting the knife on IndiGo with A320 pilot recruitment? AIX captains cry foul, says report
- 11 Pak nationals taken to Gujarat after Coast Guard seizes foreign fishing boat in India’s EEZ
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said he is monitoring the situation and all relief services are being mobilised. "We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action. Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site," the minister said in a post on X.
