A devastating aviation disaster unfolded on June 12, 2025, in Ahmedabad, India, as Air India Flight AI-171 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 242 passengers and crew aboard. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was bound for London Gatwick when it encountered catastrophic issues just minutes after leaving the runway.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who was in command of the aircraft, issued a desperate Mayday call—”Mayday, Mayday, Mayday”—the most critical distress signal in aviation, moments before contact with Air Traffic Control was lost. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), no further communication followed. At approximately 1:39 p.m. IST, the aircraft plummeted into the densely populated Meghani Nagar neighborhood, igniting a massive fire and sending columns of thick smoke into the air.