What is a Mayday Call? Why It Mattered in the Air India AI171 Crash

AHMEDABAD – June 12, 2025: An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as Flight AI171, crashed just five minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing many of the 242 people onboard.

Before the aircraft went down near Meghani Nagar, it issued a Mayday call – an urgent distress signal that signals a life-threatening emergency. The plane then lost communication and crashed into a residential building, sending up thick black smoke.

What Is a Mayday Call?

“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” is an international emergency call used by pilots and ship captains when they are in grave and immediate danger and need help right away. It is the aviation and maritime equivalent of calling 911.

When a Mayday call is made, all non-essential radio communication is stopped. Air Traffic Control (ATC) immediately prioritizes the distressed flight, gathering important information such as:

• Flight number or call sign

• Location

• Nature of the emergency

• Number of passengers and crew

• Any specific assistance needed

Origin of the Term ‘Mayday’

The term Mayday was created in the 1920s by Frederick Stanley Mockford, a radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. He chose the word because it sounded like the French phrase “m’aider”, which means “help me” — making it easier for both English and French-speaking pilots to understand.

• 1923: First used in cross-Channel flights between Croydon (UK) and Le Bourget (France).

• 1927: Officially recognized by the International Radiotelegraph Convention.

Mayday is used in modern times via emergency radio frequencies like 121.5 MHz (civilian) and 243 MHz (military), which are constantly monitored.

Why It Mattered in Flight AI171

In the AI171 crash, the Mayday call indicated that the pilots faced a critical failure moments after takeoff. Though they managed to alert ATC, they could not regain control of the aircraft. The signal triggered emergency response teams, including fire brigades, medical units, and police, to rush to the crash site.

Issuing a Mayday helped authorities understand that the situation was not just a communication failure but a real-time aviation disaster unfolding in the air.

What Happens After a Mayday Is Issued?

Once a Mayday is transmitted:

• ATC gives the flight top priority.

• Other aircrafts must stay off the radio unless they can offer assistance.

• Rescue operations begin immediately, even if the plane hasn’t crashed yet.

In this case, the Mayday gave a critical early warning, but the plane lost altitude rapidly and crashed before help could intervene.