Tragedy struck on Thursday afternoon in Ahmedabad when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI171 and bound for London Gatwick, crashed just minutes after takeoff with 242 people on board. The aircraft, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:10 PM local time, but within moments of leaving the runway the pilot issued a Mayday distress call to Air Traffic Control, signaling a serious emergency situation.
