Air India Plane crash: Pilot's last message was Mayday, flight started sinking after reaching 650 ft - Aviation Ministry

The aviation ministry on Saturday said that the last message of the pilot of the Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday was ‘Mayday’, adding that the flight had climbed 650 feet in the air before it started descending.

Speaking to reporters in a press conference in Delhi, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation Samir Kumar Sinha informed that the flight data recorder of the crashed aircraft was found.

“On 12th June around 2PM, we received the information that the plane going from Ahmedabad to Gatwick London had crashed. We immediately got detailed information about this through ATC Ahmedabad,” Sinha said as he briefed reporters.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu was also present during the press briefing.

“This was an AIC 171 and there were a total of 242 people on board, including 230 passengers, 2 pilots and 10 crew members,” the aviation secretary said.

Here is what Samir Kumar Sinha revealed about the Air India plane crash:

• “This plane took off at 1:39 pm and within a few seconds, after reaching a height of about 650 feet, it started sinking, i.e., it started losing height. At 1:39 pm, the pilot informed Ahmedabad ATC that it was a May Day, i.e., full emergency.”

• “According to ATC, when it tried to contact the Air India plane, it did not receive any response. Exactly after 1 minute, this plane crashed in Medhaninagar, which is located at a distance of about 2 km from the airport,” Sinha said.
• The official further revealed that the aircraft started losing its height after reaching 650 feet. “The AIC 171 plane carrying a total of 242 passengers on board, including 230 passengers, 2 pilots, and 10 crew members, had taken off at 1:39 p.m. and within a few seconds, after it reached a height of 650 feet, it had started sinking, i.e. losing height,” he said.

• Before the accident, the plane flew on the route of Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad without any accident. It had completed its flight successfully.
• “Due to the accident, the runway was closed at 2:30 pm, and after completing all the protocols, the runway of Ahmedabad was opened for limited flights from 5 pm,” Sinha said.

A total of 270 people were killed in the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash, as per official records. The incident is being investigated by multiple agencies.