‘Signal from Air India jet lost at 625 feet…’: Flightradar24 data claims plane plunged 'minute after takeoff'

Flightradar24 claimed in a post that the signal from Air India flight AI171 vanished at 10:08 a.m. local time, just 625 feet in the air and less than a minute after takeoff from Ahmedabad International Airport.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was bound for London’s Gatwick Airport with 242 people on board. The fate of those passengers remains uncertain as rescue operations continue.

Flight AI171 took off at 9:50 a.m. and began losing altitude moments later. According to Flightradar’s data, the aircraft disappeared from radar less than a minute into its journey—18 minutes before its scheduled landing in the UK.

The crash occurred between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., with reports indicating the aircraft reached approximately 825 feet before plummeting. Witnesses saw thick gray smoke rising from the crash site as first responders rushed in.

“Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad–London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025,” Air India said in a brief statement. “We are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest.”

Emergency services deployed more than two dozen ambulances. Several injured passengers have been transported to hospitals. Authorities sealed off access routes near the crash to ensure uninterrupted emergency response.

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said he was “shocked and devastated,” adding, “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 Civil Aviation Ministry continues to monitor the situation, while investigators begin probing the cause of the crash.