Rama Krishna Sangem
On June 12, Thursday, Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal sent a Mayday call, equal to SOS, to the Air Traffic Control people at Ahmedabad airport, but seconds after that he went incommunicado and another few seconds later, the airplane was seen in a ball of fire, falling on the ground, thus scripting a devastating tragedy in Indian aviation history.
An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed immediately after taking off from Ahmedabad airport today. Analysing the visuals, while it is too early to find a cause, experts say there seems to be a loss of thrust or lift, or it could be a bird hit.
The catastrophic failure to gain lift and climb happened at a very low altitude of 825 feet.The pilots struggled to stay in the climb just before they raised a Mayday call and the plane went down.
Aviation expert Sanjay Lazar said the cause could be anything from multiple bird hits to wrong take-off configuration. The plane’s engine seems to have lost thrust, experts have said. Its landing gears were also still down.
The plane was carrying 242 people and so it was loaded with fuel to reach London in the long flight. Thursday’s ghastly crash at Ahmedabad has ended the flawless safety record of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner – the most advanced commercial airliner alongside the Airbus A350.
Since its introduction into service by All Nippon Airways in 2011, the widebody jet, developed in the early 2000s, had never experienced a fatal crash. About 1,200 787s are in operation today across the 787‑8 (the variant involved in the crash), 787‑9, and 787‑10 models.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, issued a “Mayday” call to Air Traffic Control shortly before the plane lost contact.
What’s a Mayday Call?
The Mayday call is issued by the person in command of a vehicle or vessel, usually a pilot or a ship’s captain when they are facing a severe emergency. This can include situations like engine failure, onboard fire, loss of co
This can include situations like engine failure, onboard fire, loss of control, or any scenario that threatens the safety of the aircraft or ship and everyone on board. In aviation, the pilot communicates the Mayday call to Air Traffic Control (ATC) over the radio. In rare cases, a Mayday can also be relayed by another nearby aircraft or ship if the original caller has lost communication.
Don’t know why Sumeet fell silent after the call
Once a Mayday is declared, all radio traffic on that frequency is cleared. The person in distress shares their location, nature of emergency, and other key details. ATC or emergency services then take over with rescue coordination. In this case, Captain Sumeet fell silent just after sending a Mayday call to ATC, Ahmedabad. The ATC people repeatedly tried to call back and reach the pilot, was of no use, as the plane crashed before their eyes within a few seconds later.
Aviation expert Sanjay Lazar told NDTV that the aircraft experienced a catastrophic failure to climb, losing control at just 825 feet above ground. The Dreamliner was heavily fuelled for the long-haul flight to London, which intensified the explosion on impact.
Visuals from the crash site showed thick plumes of grey smoke rising as multiple ambulances and emergency teams rushed to the scene. Police have cordoned off the area, and traffic around the airport has been diverted.
Why nothing of this happened and what went wrong with this aircraft and the flight will only be known after the retrieval of the black box and initial reports of enquiries ordered by the DGCA and Tata Group, owners of Air India and the Government of Gujarat.
