Moments prior to Air India plane disaster

Newly released video footage captures the moments leading up to a tragic incident involving an Air India flight bound for London, which crashed near Ahmedabad Airport in Gujarat, India. Over 200 individuals, including 53 British citizens, were on board the London-bound flight AI171. The distressing video, filmed from a building, illustrates the aircraft descending over a residential area before the crash. According to the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the crash occurred in Meghani Nagar at 1:38pm local time on Thursday. Reports indicate that the plane's landing gear was still down at the time of descent, consistent with take-off. Following the crash, a massive explosion and fireball ensued, with thick black smoke billowing into the air. Flightradar data shows that the aircraft's signal was lost less than a minute after departure. This incident marks the first crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, as per the Aviation Safety Network database. Among the 242 passengers on board were 169 Indian nationals, as well as individuals from the UK, Portugal, and Canada. The flight was scheduled to land at London Gatwick at 6:25pm on Thursday, with rescue teams and medical aid efforts swiftly mobilized to the crash site, according to India's civil aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu.