Ahmedabad, Jun 12: A major aviation tragedy struck on Thursday as an Air India Boeing 787 aircraft, operating as flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has confirmed the incident in an official statement.
The aircraft, bearing registration VT-ANB, had 242 people on board, including two pilots and ten cabin crew members. The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain (LTC) with 8,200 hours of flying experience, along with First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours.
According to the DGCA, the aircraft departed from runway 23 at 13:39 IST (08:09 UTC). Shortly after takeoff, the pilots issued a “MAYDAY” distress call to Air Traffic Control (ATC). However, the ATC received no further communication from the flight thereafter.
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The plane crashed just outside the airport perimeter, and thick black smoke was seen billowing from the crash site. Emergency services were immediately dispatched to the location, and rescue operations are underway.
The DGCA has initiated a detailed investigation to ascertain the cause of the crash. More updates are awaited as the situation develops.
This is a developing story.
