Air India Plane Crash: What's MAYDAY call that London-bound aircraft gave to ATC before crashing in Ahmedabad?

Air India Plane Crash: The Air India passenger flight with 242 passengers on board, crashed immediately after take-off near Ahmedabad airport on 12 June.

The London-bound Air India flight, operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, tragically crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar after taking off from Ahmedabad at 1:38 PM.

The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumit Sabharwal, with Clive Kunder serving as co-pilot.

Air India confirmed the nationalities of those on board the crashed flight, including 169 Indians, 53 British, 7 Portuguese and one Canadian. Among those on board was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. An official confirmation about the passengers is, however, awaited.

While there is no official version about casualties, sources said more than 120 people have died in the accident so far.

Aircraft gave MAYDAY Call: DGCA

The Air India B787 Aircraft gave a MAYDAY call to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) immediately after take-off. It, however, did not respond after that to calls made by the ATC to the aircraft, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

So the last communication from the crew of the ill-fated plane was ‘MAYDAY, MAYDAY…’ followed by radio silence.

What is a MAYDAY Call?

So, what is a MAYDAY call that the flight gave to the ATC, moments before the crash?

A MAYDAY call, according to aviation parlance, is a distress call which is recognised internationally. The crew issues the MAYDAY call in an emergency situation when it finds the plane in immediate danger.

The MAYDAY call is the most urgent distress signal from the aircraft crew to the ATC in aviation terminology. The word MAYDAY is actually derived from the French word "m'aider", which means "help me".

When is MAYDAY sounded?

A typical distress call ‘MAYDAY’ is said three times in a row so that it is not mistaken for another similar-sounding word or phrase.

This is followed by relaying the information that rescuers would need, including the nature of the emergency, the location or last known location, current weather, type and identity of aircraft involved, fuel remaining and the number of people in danger.

The distress call has absolute priority over all other transmissions.

Transmitted via radio communication

A MAYDAY call is transmitted via radio communication to the ATC or to other aircraft nearby. The signal means an SOS request for assistance to mitigate the emergency, ensure timely intervention, and prevent any eventuality.

The call is usually issued in scenarios such as engine failures, severe weather encounters, structural malfunctions, or medical emergencies aboard the aircraft.

After the MAYDAY call is received, the ATC and other aviation officials are alerted to prioritise the coordination of the rescue efforts and provide the necessary support to the distressed aircraft.

The Air India aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience, and the co-pilot has 1100 hours of flying experience.

What did the ATC say?

As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Aircraft Immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on ground outside the airport perimeter.