Awful news today as an Air India plane carrying 242 people bound for London Gatwick crashed near Ahmedabad airport shortly after takeoff this morning.

According to the city police commissioner, none of the passengers – which included 53 British nationals, 169 Indian nationals, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese nationals – appear to have survived the crash. Not that you would have expected them to after watching the footage:

[Warning = distressing images]

JUST IN: Air India plane carrying 242 people crashes moments after take off.
pic.twitter.com/GSBiUa2MXZ

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) June 12, 2025

Thus far, it’s not known for certain what caused the crash, but there are several discrepancies that don’t make sense, including an engine failure immediately after take-off, and the landing gear getting stuck.

Here’s a list of all the discrepancies and red flags around the Air India Flight AI-171 crash:

1. Landing gear still down

• Multiple eyewitnesses and experts noted that the landing gear had not been retracted as the plane climbed, which is obviously not meant to happen and highly unusual for take-off.
• Aviation analyst Jeff Guzzetti described it as a “real mystery” – since the gear down dramatically increases drag, preventing the plane from climbing.
• Investigators are trying to figure out whether gear extension or flaps/slats misconfiguration contributed.

2. Engine thrust anomalies – not just one

• Some believe that one or both engines may have failed or underperformed, as the aircraft failed to climb.
• Guzzetti notes the rudder and yaw behaviour didn’t indicate a single-engine failure, suggesting a potential dual-thrust issue.

3. Mayday call, then total silence

• a MAYDAY call was issued shortly after takeoff, but then communications abruptly ceased.
• This could suggest a rapidly escalating emergency – either sudden mechanical failure or some drama on board the plane – terror related maybe?

4. Rapid altitude stall at ~623 feet

• Data shows the plane stalled at around 625 feet, losing communication almost instantly. This is well below safe climb altitude for a heavy long haul flight.

5. Dreamliner – very rare first fatal loss

• This marks the first fatal crash of a Boeing 787 since 2011, which gives you some idea of how incredibly rare it is.
• Even still, the 787 has faced safety/production scrutiny over the years, so this crash won’t help matters. Or rather, it might prompt them to sort their sh1t out, if it was indeed a mechanical or design failure.

So, why was the landing gear still down? Why were the flaps/slats misconfigured (if confirmed)? Why was there no clear engine shutdown on one side? Why did communications cease so abruptly after the MAYDAY call? These are all questions we’ll hopefully have answers to very soon, with investigators from all types of aviation organisations collaborating to figure it all out.

It could just be that someone at Air India messed up very, very badly.

Air India said in a statement: ‘Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025.

‘At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest on Air India and on our X handle.’

Flight AI171 departed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad today at 1.39pm local time and was due to arrive at Gatwick nine hours later.

Sir Keir Starmer had this to say:

‘The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating.

‘I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.’

RIP to the victims and thoughts with their friends and families.

For the EasyJet passenger who had an all-time meltdown after refusing to leave Manchester Airport recently, click HERE.