Air India plane crash: London-bound flight with 242 onboard crashes after take-off

An Air India flight bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI171, had 242 people onboard, including 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew members.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)-India’s civil aviation regulator, the aircraft departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 pm IST from runway 23.

Soon after becoming airborne, the pilots issued a mayday call before the aircraft went silent.

It crashed outside the airport perimeter near Meghaninagar, a densely populated civilian area, sending up plumes of thick black smoke.

The DGCA confirmed that the aircraft was being operated by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a long-term captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, along with First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged around 1,100 hours.