'Mayday! Mayday! Thrust not achieved': What Air India pilot's last words before tragic crash possibly mean
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What does 'thrust not achieved' mean?
No prior indications of technical fault
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The tragic crash of Air India Flight 171 on Thursday is being closely examined for possible thrust failure during take-off, after the flight crew's chilling final communication with air traffic control.According to The Times of India, moments before the Boeing Dreamliner crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel in Ahmedabad, the pilot made a distress call: "Thrust not achieved… falling… Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!"The Ahmedabad police confirmed that this was the last message received from the cockpit before the aircraft lost contact.According to officials, as quoted by TOI, the aircraft had nearly exhausted the full 3.5-kilometre runway at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, significantly longer than the 2.5 to 3 kilometres typically required for a wide-body jet like the Dreamliner to take off.This unusually long runway roll is now a critical focus of the crash investigation. A source close to the probe told TOI, "The longer runway roll hints at a possibility of the aircraft not having adequate thrust for take-off. The facts can be ascertained only after the black box is decoded."In aviation, 'thrust not achieved' generally means that the engines failed to produce the required force to lift the aircraft off the ground. Thrust is the forward force generated by the engines that allows a plane to overcome drag and achieve the necessary speed for lift-off.If full thrust isn't reached during take-off, the aircraft may not gain enough speed to become airborne safely, which can lead to a crash if there isn't sufficient runway remaining to abort the take-off.Despite the apparent loss of thrust, airport sources confirmed to TOI that there were no earlier indications of trouble. "There were no requests for runway changes, thrust adjustments or flap reconfigurations. Weather was stable, visibility was clear. Temperature was high, but within operational limits," TOI quoted one official as saying.Surveillance footage from the airport reportedly supports this, showing a longer-than-usual take-off attempt but no visible signs of an onboard emergency. ATC and ground staff did not detect any engine irregularities, sudden pitch deviations, or unexpected manoeuvres.All communication and procedural protocols were followed, according to sources familiar with the airline's coordination with India's civil aviation regulator. "There was no lapse in coordination between the airline and DGCA," a source told TOI.The airport itself had been routinely conducting safety drills. "At SVPI airport, we conduct full-scale emergency drills annually, with modular simulations throughout the year," an airport official told TOI.Authorities now await data from the aircraft's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, collectively known as the "black box", to better understand what caused the critical thrust failure. This data will be essential to reconstruct the final moments of Flight 171 and determine if it was a mechanical issue, human error, or a systems failure.(With inputs from TOI)
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