Just seconds before Air India Flight 171 crashed into a crowded neighborhood in Ahmedabad, a nine-word cry for help crackled over the radio waves- short, urgent, and chilling.
“MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY… NO POWER… NO THRUST… GOING DOWN…”
Those words, spoken by Captain Sumit Sabharwal, offered the final glimpse into the chaos unfolding inside the cockpit before the Boeing 787 hit the ground.
What followed was devastation on a scale India hasn’t seen in years. The London-bound Boeing 787 carrying 242 passengers had barely lifted off the tarmac when something went fatally wrong. Seconds after the distress call, the plane plunged into the heart of Meghaninagar, killing at least 274 people, including passengers, crew, and unsuspecting residents on the ground. And now, the final words of an experienced pilot are offering a haunting clue into what happened in those last, desperate moments.
Seconds From Disaster
The aircraft took off at 1:39 pm. It climbed to about 650 feet before suddenly losing altitude. Within moments, Captain Sabharwal’s voice reached Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control. His words, recorded and confirmed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, reflected a complete loss of engine thrust, a nightmare scenario for any pilot.
ATC officials tried to reestablish contact, but no further response came. Just one minute after that final transmission, the plane slammed into the residential quarters of a medical college in Meghaninagar, about two kilometers from the runway. Fire engulfed the crash site. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky. Rescue workers pulled charred bodies from the debris. Local residents and students were caught in the blast zone.
🚨 Last message to ATC from AI 171 Pilot Capt. Sumit Sabharwal:
“MAYDAY… MAYDAY… MAYDAY… NO POWER… NO THRUST… GOING DOWN.” — [News18] pic.twitter.com/1JksPISqVt
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) June 14, 2025
Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha confirmed that the aircraft had earlier completed a Paris–Delhi–Ahmedabad run without incident. Flight operations at Ahmedabad airport halted at 2:30 pm and resumed partially by 5 pm.
Captain Sabharwal, 56, had over three decades of flying experience. Just days before the crash, he told his father he planned to quit flying and return home to care for him. “Sumit had spoken to him just three days ago,” a family friend told India Today. “His father couldn’t say a word. His eyes were filled with tears.”
Authorities launched a full investigation. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau recovered the black box by Friday evening. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu visited the site and confirmed that a multi-disciplinary panel will now examine technical failures, standard operating procedures, and emergency protocols.
What caused the engines to fail so catastrophically remains the central question. For now, India mourns a pilot’s final plea, and the lives lost in its wake.
