Air India Flight Carrying 242 Passengers Crashes in Ahmedabad

An Air India flight bound for London, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport. Designated AI171, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off at 1:38 PM IST and crashed near the Medani area just five minutes later. Massive plumes of black smoke were seen as fire engines and emergency teams rushed to the scene. The flight crew included Captain Sumit Sabharwal, an experienced pilot with over 8,200 flying hours, and Co-Pilot Clive Kunder with 1,100 hours. A ‘MAYDAY’ call was issued moments before communication was lost. The cause of the crash remains unknown and will only be confirmed after the black box is recovered and analyzed.