What Is Mayday Call and Why Do Pilots Use It?

What Is Mayday Call:

An Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport tragically crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday afternoon. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was carrying 242 people passengers and crew when it fell to the ground and burst into flames.

What Is Mayday Call:

The incident happened at 1:38 pm. According to officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilot, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, made a distress call a “Mayday” just moments before losing contact with Air Traffic Control. A Mayday call signals that there’s a life-threatening emergency on board. The pilot usually makes this call during a major incident, such as engine failure, fire, or loss of control of the aircraft.

The word “Mayday” comes from the French phrase “m’aider”, which means “help me.” Standard procedure involves repeating “Mayday” three times to make sure the urgency is clear even under poor communication conditions.

Once the Mayday call is made, air-traffic controllers clear all other transmissions and aid the crew in whatever way they can. This includes guiding them toward the nearest airport or preparing for an emergency landing if there’s a chance. Often, nearby aircraft may aid in relayed messages if communication drops.

Aviation expert Sanjay Lazar explained that the aircraft was struggling to gain altitude losing control at just 825 feet above ground.This made the eventual collision more catastrophic. The plane was heavy with a full load of fuel for its long-distance flight, adding to the force of the explosion upon impact.

Footage from the site shows thick clouds of black smoke as emergency crews rushed in. Police have secured the area, and nearby roads were temporarily closed. The Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, is closely following the incident, making sure all rescue operations are underway in coordination with the relevant authorities.

Some details about survivors and casualties are still unclear, and investigations are ongoing to determine what went wrong.

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