Divya Delhi:Pilot Sumit Sabharwal desperately called Ahmedabad ATC in the moments leading up to the disaster of the Air India AI 171, reporting complete engine failure and thrust loss. An eerie audio recording has surfaced from the cockpit of Air India Flight AI-171, just days after India experienced one of its worst aviation tragedies. On Thursday, at least 274 people—passengers, crew, and locals—died when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner heading for London crashed just seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport. The terrifying events unfolding in the cockpit are captured in the brief communication, which lasts only five seconds. You can make out the pilot's voice stating:
“MAYDAY… MAYDAY… MAYDAY… NO POWER… NO THRUST… GOING DOWN
Saturday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation explained what happened on Thursday afternoon. The Ministry of Civil Aviation received preliminary information of the crash at approximately 2 pm on June 12, according to Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha. Not long after the incident, the information reached ATC Ahmedabad. At 1:39 pm, the airplane carrying 242 people (230 passengers, 10 cabin staff, and 2 pilots) took off for London Gatwick under the operating number AIC 171. The plane started to descend shortly after takeoff, just after reaching an altitude of about 650 feet. Captain Sumit Sabharwal, the plane's senior pilot, briefly contacted Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control (ATC) right before the plane crashed into the Meghaninagar dorms.