Air India pilot's chilling 'mayday' call as he warned plane was 'losing power' moments before crash killed 229 on board

13 June 2025, 00:07 | Updated: 13 June 2025, 00:12

The pilot of the doomed Air India flight warned in a panicked call the plane was 'losing power' moments before it crashed, killing all but one person on board.

Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, careened back to earth in the densely populated Meghani area of the Ahmedabad, hitting doctors’ accommodation and a student canteen minutes after leaving the runway at about 1pm local time.

Air India says 229 passengers and 12 crew died - adding that the sole survivor is receiving treatment in hospital.

Moments before the crash, pilot Sumeet Sabharwal reportedly called out 'Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift' in a panicked warning, according to reports.

Sabharwal had 8,200 hours of flying experience under his belt. Clive Kundar, his co-pilot, had 1,100 hours of experience.

Read more: Air India confirms only one survivor from 242 people on board Ahmedabad plane crash

Read more: British passenger walks away as sole survivor on Air India plane crash that killed more than 290 people

Footage shows the pair despreftaly attempting to nudge up the plane's nose as they scrambled to avoid a crash.

The Boeing was around 400ft above ground when it lost power in both engines. The plane was reportedly flying at a height of 625 feet, less than a minute after take off, at the time signal was lost.

It took just 17 seconds for the vehicle to then plunge into a medical college filled with doctors. At least 50 people on the ground were reportedly killed, with scores more injured.

Videos show the aircraft flying low over the city rooftops before disappearing have emerged, with a fireball erupting in the distance after the jet goes out of sight.

According to flight tracking app Flightradar24, signal from the aircraft was lost at 10:08 local time.

A pilot told LBC he believed it was a “tragic accident” and believed it was likely down to pilot error.

An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the crash.

He said the 787 was a “phenomenal aeroplane” that was an “absolute dream to fly.”

“What we have to realise is errors, mistakes… can happen at any time and people are only human.”

“There is no single manufacturing process in the entire world which is flawless. Boeing will strive to do as much as they possibly can to iron out any errors.”

Experts have said that looking at footage of the plane’s final moments it appeared it may have been on the wrong flap setting which could have led to the crash.

Other aviation experts have speculated about a number of possible causes for the crash, including both engines failing – possibly due to a bird strike, as happened in the so-called Miracle on the Hudson in 2009.

53 Britons were aboard the flight at the time of the crash, Air India has confirmed.

Just one, the only person to survive the crash, came out alive.

In a statement on Thursday morning, Gatwick Airport confirmed: "We can confirm that flight AI171 that crashed on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today was due to land at London Gatwick at 18:25."

Footage emerging on social media shows dark plumes of smoke rising into the air in a built-up area close to the airport.

In a statement Air India said: “The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew..

“The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities.“The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals and 1 Canadian national.“

The survivor is a British national of Indian origin.“Air India offers its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, is believed to be the only survivor of the crash.

Speaking outside the family home in Leicester, his brother, Nayan Kumar Ramesh, 27, said: “We were just shocked as soon as we heard it.“I last spoke to him yesterday morning. We’re devastated, just devastated.“

He said ‘I have no idea how I exited the plane’.”