Air India pilots pictured as tragic final words seconds before crash unveiled
The pilots of the Air India flight that crashed today, killing 241 people on board, have been pictured after details of their desperate mayday call emerged.
According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad Airport, the aircraft departed at 1.39pm local time (9.09am BST) from runway 23. Shortly after take-off, the crew issued a "mayday" distress call, indicating an emergency situation. However, no further communication was received from the aircraft after the initial alert.
Flight tracking service Flightradar24 reported that it lost the signal from the aircraft just seconds after it became airborne. Before the aircraft went down and hit a residential property shortly after take-off, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of flying experience, and his co-pilot Clive Kundar, with 1,100 hours of experience, raised the alarm.
The captain desperately said: "Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift." Sadly, the pilots were unable to nudge up the nose of the aircraft - and it came down just 1.5 miles beyond the end of the runway, in the densely-populated Meghani Nagar neighbourhood of the city in the state of Gujarat.
Only one person, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash - everyone else, including passengers and crew, sadly died, Air India said. The airline said in a statement on X: "Air India confirms that flight AI171, operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on 12 June 2025, was involved in an accident. The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew.
"The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national. The survivor is a British national of Indian origin.
"Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of all those affected, their families and loved ones. A team of caregivers from Air India is now in Ahmedabad to provide additional support. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.
"Air India has also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. Those calling from outside India can call on +91 8062779200."
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