By Nilambar Rath
A chilling timeline of Air India Flight AI171’s final 26 minutes reveals how a routine departure turned into an unimaginable tragedy
In the sterile, jargon-filled logs of Air Traffic Control, the life of a flight is recorded in precise, emotionless timestamps. For Air India Flight AI171 on June 12, 2025, that log tells a story of absolute normalcy shattered in an instant.
The preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), into the fatal crash at Ahmedabad provides a transcript of the flight’s final communications — a 26-minute timeline that begins with a routine request to push back from the gate and ends with a desperate, unanswered cry for help – MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY.
The crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which claimed the lives of 241 of the 242 people on board and many on the ground, has been traced to a catastrophic dual-engine shutdown just seconds after takeoff. But before this unexplained event, the communication between the experienced flight crew and the Ahmedabad ATC paints a picture of a standard departure, meticulously following the script of modern commercial aviation.
What follows is the timeline of that final journey, from a calm start to a tragic end.
07:43:00 UTC – The Journey Begins: The first entry in the log marks the official start of the flight’s ground operations. The crew of AI171 makes a standard radio call requesting permission for “pushback and startup.” For the 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board, this is the familiar moment when the aircraft gently shunts back from the terminal, the first step on their long-haul journey to London Gatwick.
07:43:13 to 07:46:59 UTC – Standard Clearances: The response from ATC is swift and routine. Pushback is approved within 13 seconds. A little over three minutes later, at 07:46:59 UTC, the crew receives the clearance to start the two powerful GEnx-1B engines. On the flight deck, the pilots would be running through their checklists, the aircraft’s systems humming to life.
07:49:12 UTC – A Full-Length Takeoff: In an exchange that highlights the crew’s professionalism, the ATC queries if the aircraft requires the full length of Runway 23 for its departure. The crew confirms they do. This is a standard consideration for a heavily loaded aircraft like a B787 at the start of a long-haul flight, laden with passengers, cargo, and tens of thousands of kilograms of fuel. It shows a crew operating by the book, taking all necessary precautions.
07:55:15 to 08:03:45 UTC – The Taxi to Runway 23: With engines running, the aircraft receives its taxi clearance. For nearly eight minutes, the Dreamliner makes its way across the airport tarmac towards the departure runway. At 08:02:03 UTC, a procedural handover takes place as the flight is passed from the Ground controller to the Tower controller, who will oversee the takeoff.
Just over a minute later, the Tower instructs AI171 to “line up on the Runway 23,” positioning it for the final, critical phase of departure.
08:07:33 UTC – “Cleared for Take-Off”: This is the last moment of normalcy, the final routine transmission before disaster. The Ahmedabad Tower controller gives the clearance that every passenger waits for: “Air India 171, cleared for Take-Off from Runway 23, Wind 240 degrees at 06 Knots.”
On the flight deck, the Pilot Flying would have advanced the thrust levers, and the 213-tonne aircraft would have begun its powerful roll down the runway.
92 Seconds to Tragedy
What happened next is not in the communication log, but in the cold, hard data of the flight recorders.
- At 08:08:39 UTC, 66 seconds after the takeoff clearance, the aircraft’s sensors indicate liftoff.
- At 08:08:42 UTC, just three seconds into its climb, the fuel cutoff switches for both engines are moved to the “CUTOFF” position.
- The engines begin to spool down, starved of fuel. The aircraft, now a glider, loses its upward momentum.
08:09:05 UTC – “MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY”: Just 92 seconds after receiving its takeoff clearance, and a mere 26 seconds after its wheels left the ground, a voice from the cockpit of AI171 transmits the most urgent distress call in aviation. The three words cut through the routine chatter of the airwaves, signaling a catastrophic, life-threatening emergency.
The ATCO, hearing the call, immediately enquired for the call sign, attempting to get more information. But there was no response.
The communication log ends there. The controller did not need a verbal confirmation; from the tower, they witnessed the aircraft crashing outside the airport boundary and immediately activated the emergency response. The final, desperate call was the flight’s last word.
(A veteran media personality, communication specialist and SBCC expert, the author is the Editor of OdishaLIVE and OdishaPlus, leading the strategy for their digital and social media channels.)