'Thrust not achieved, falling, mayday': Air India pilot's last words reveal minutes before crash

"Thrust not achieved, falling, communication line during this transmission very weak, Mayday" — these were the final words transmitted by the Air India pilot to Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad airport, just moments before Flight AI171 went down. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed minutes after takeoff, slamming into a medical college hostel and leaving a trail of devastation.

Sources told India Today TV that the pilot's sequence of distress messages clearly indicated mechanical trouble. The aircraft had departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:37 pm on Thursday, headed for London Gatwick, carrying 242 people — 230 passengers, 2 pilots, and 10 crew members. Of them, 241 died. The sole survivor is a British national of Indian origin, currently under treatment at a city hospital.

The crash marked the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 since the aircraft entered commercial service in 2011. The total death toll from the incident stands at 270, including injuries and subsequent deaths caused by the aircraft's impact on the building it struck.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed on Friday that the plane's black box was recovered 28 hours after the crash. "The orange-coloured device that was located near the tail of the plane will help investigate the crash,” he said. Naidu added that the black box data is now being decoded, with multiple agencies and high-level panels working to establish what went wrong.

In the wake of the tragedy, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered enhanced safety inspections of all Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft in Air India’s fleet, beginning Sunday. The checks will include detailed examinations of fuel, engine, and hydraulic systems, with the findings to be submitted for review.