Ahmedabad Air India plane crash | ‘Thrust not achieved,’ final ATC messages shed light

“Thrust not achieved”, “falling”, “communication line during this transmission very weak”, “Mayday”—these were the chilling final messages sent by the pilot of Air India Flight AI171 to Air Traffic Control (ATC) just moments before the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a residential area of Ahmedabad on Thursday.

The new details, revealed by sources to India Today TV, confirm that the aircraft was in distress seconds after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:37 pm. The flight, carrying 242 people and over 125,000 litres of fuel, lost altitude almost immediately, slamming into a densely populated neighborhood and killing nearly everyone on board as well as at least two dozen people on the ground.

The pilot’s desperate attempts to communicate—ending with “Mayday”—suggest a sudden and catastrophic failure. Aviation experts now believe the nature of these messages may offer vital clues into what caused India’s deadliest air disaster in over three decades.

Dr Dhaval Gameti, a doctor at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital, told The Associated Press that the hospital has received “270 bodies so far”. Most victims were “charred or mutilated”, and authorities are relying on DNA matching to identify remains. “It normally takes up to 72 hours to complete DNA matching,” officials said.

Among the dead were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. The only known survivor, 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, remains under observation for impact wounds. “He is doing very well and will be ready to be discharged any time soon,” said Dr Gameti.

A local official told Al Jazeera, on condition of anonymity, that nearly 10 of the recovered bodies—believed to be residents of the area, not passengers—have already been identified and returned to their families.

India’s Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, confirmed that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had recovered the plane’s digital data recorder—or black box—from a rooftop near the crash site. “The government will look into all possible theories of what could have caused the crash,” Kinjarapu said.

The AAIB said it is working with “full force” to extract crucial flight data, which is expected to shed light on engine performance, flap settings, and pilot responses. Forensic teams are still searching for the second black box—the cockpit voice recorder.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former investigator with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration, told AP that the final messages could be instrumental. “Investigators will be looking into whether wing flaps were set correctly, whether the engine lost power, and whether cockpit alarms were triggered,” he said. He added that errors in data regarding aircraft weight or outside temperature could have led to faulty takeoff settings.

The crash marks the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft entered service 16 years ago. With over 1,200 Dreamliners in service worldwide, the jet is widely regarded as one of the most advanced and safest models.

Boeing said it is “in touch with Air India and stands ready to support them” in the ongoing investigation. The U.S. planemaker has faced growing scrutiny over safety lapses on other models in recent years.

(With inputs from agencies)

MT