Air India flight reached 625 feet before plunging to ground in Ahmedabad, says FlightRadar

Air India flight AI171's last signal was recorded just seconds after takeoff, according to FlightRadar. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed shortly after.

Flight tracking platform FlightRadar has revealed that the last signal from Air India flight AI171 was received seconds after takeoff and it gained an altitude of 625 feet before it crashed on Thursday. Thick plumes of smoke were seen rising into the Ahmedabad skyline seconds after the crash.

The London-bound Air India plane crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport.(PTI)

“Air India flight #AI171 was scheduled to fly from Ahmedabad International Airport to London Gatwick Airport. The signal from the aircraft was lost at 08:08 UTC (13:38 local time) at 625 feet, less than a minute after take off,” FlightRadar said.

The flight tracking platform added that the last signal was received around 1:38 PM, just moments before it took off.

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The aircraft had 242 passengers onboard and went down near the Meghaninagar area in Gujarat's Ahmedabad airport. "Ahmedabad to London (Gatwick) airport, had crashed into a residential area (Meghani nagar) take off at 1:38 PM crashed 5 minutes after take off," officials said.

Air India clarified that the flight was headed to London's Gatwick from Ahmedabad. “Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off. The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals," it said in a statement.

Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said that he was closely monitoring the situation. “We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action,” he added.

While Ahmedabad airport has been shut, the number of injured or casualties in the horrific crash is not known yet. 

Officials have said that the flight crashed within five minutes. It had 242 people on board, including two pilots and 10 cabin crew. Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed rescue teams on the ground, dousing flames from the wreckage.