The devastating crash of Air India Flight 171 on June 12 has brought an unsettling wave of aviation terms into daily headlines. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, carrying 241 passengers and crew, went down just seconds after take-off, killing a total of 274 people including over two dozen on the ground. This tragedy not only made global news because of the high death toll but also because it occurred during the critical take-off phase — a time when aircraft systems and pilots are under intense stress. To help make sense of the technical language now everywhere in media briefings and crash reports, here’s a simple, clear guide to the key terms that have emerged since the accident.
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, widely known for its fuel efficiency and passenger comfort. It is a long-haul, twin-engine, wide-body aircraft, considered Boeing’s flagship in commercial aviation. Remarkably, before this incident, the Dreamliner had no fatal crash record since its introduction over a decade ago. By early 2025, Boeing had delivered more than 1,100 Dreamliners, logging nearly five million flights globally without a single fatality until Flight 171’s disaster shattered this record.
In India, the official investigation is being handled by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, or AAIB. This agency reports to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and is responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents involving Indian-registered aircraft or those occurring within India’s territory. The AAIB’s job is not just to find the cause but also to issue recommendations to prevent such disasters in the future. Meanwhile, the US-based National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, is expected to join the probe too. The NTSB is America’s counterpart to the AAIB but investigates accidents involving all modes of public transportation. Globally recognized for its work, it frequently appears in documentaries like National Geographic’s “Air Crash Investigation”, also known as “Mayday”. The NTSB often supports international probes involving American-built aircraft like the Boeing 787.
One piece of equipment that has come under the spotlight is the RAT, or Ram Air Turbine. This is a small, propeller-like device that deploys automatically if an aircraft loses all engine power. As the plane moves through the air, the wind turns the RAT, which generates just enough electricity to keep critical systems running — such as hydraulics, cockpit lights, and basic flight controls. Audio recordings from Flight 171’s final moments hint that the RAT may have been deployed, fueling speculation of an extraordinarily rare dual-engine failure that could have left the aircraft powerless almost immediately after take-off.
Another focus of any air crash investigation is the black box — which is actually not black but bright orange for visibility among debris. The term “black box” refers collectively to two critical devices: the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). The FDR keeps track of detailed flight information like speed, altitude, heading, and engine performance, recording hundreds of parameters from the plane’s systems. This data shows investigators exactly how the aircraft behaved before the crash. The CVR, on the other hand, records all sounds in the cockpit: pilots’ conversations, alarms, switches, and communications with air traffic control. This audio record is vital to understanding what the crew experienced and how they responded to the emergency. Impressively, despite the catastrophic crash and intense post-crash fire, Flight 171’s black boxes survived temperatures up to 1,000 degrees Celsius, offering a crucial window into the doomed flight’s final seconds.
The moments before the crash were punctuated by one of aviation’s most urgent phrases: “May Day.” This word is the internationally recognized radio distress signal for life-threatening emergencies. To ensure it is understood clearly over radio transmissions, pilots always repeat it three times: “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.” It is a clear call for immediate assistance, signaling to air traffic controllers and nearby pilots that the situation is critical. According to reports, the pilots of Flight 171 did issue a Mayday call moments before the aircraft crashed.
Guiding the aircraft during all flight phases is Air Traffic Control, commonly referred to as ATC. ATC is a network of skilled personnel and radar systems on the ground that manage and coordinate the movement of aircraft both in the air and on the runway. Their instructions help pilots maintain safe distances from other aircraft, avoid restricted areas, and navigate through take-offs and landings smoothly and safely.
Many people worldwide tracked Flight 171’s doomed journey using Flightradar24, a real-time flight tracking website. This platform collects live broadcast data from aircraft transponders and plots every commercial flight’s location, speed, altitude, and estimated arrival time on a global map. While popular among aviation enthusiasts, the service does not show flights that operators block for privacy or security, such as certain military, VIP, or private jets. In the case of Flight 171, Flightradar24’s data confirmed how quickly the aircraft lost altitude after take-off.
Another critical focus of the investigation is the status of the aircraft’s flaps during take-off. Flaps are movable panels on the wings that extend or retract to adjust the wing’s shape and generate extra lift when flying slowly — such as during take-off or landing. If the flaps were mistakenly retracted too soon, or if they malfunctioned, the aircraft could lose lift and struggle to stay airborne. This is why experts are scrutinising whether a flap-related issue contributed to the rapid loss of control seen in Flight 171’s final seconds.
The horrific crash of Air India Flight 171 is a grim reminder that even the most advanced aircraft are vulnerable during the critical phases of flight. As the AAIB, NTSB, and other global experts analyze every second of flight data, cockpit conversations, and debris from the crash site, these technical terms help the public follow along and understand what investigators are trying to uncover.
Knowing what a Dreamliner is, how a RAT works, what the black boxes reveal, why a Mayday call matters, and how flaps influence flight stability empowers everyone to grasp the complexity of modern air safety. Tragedies like this push aviation professionals to learn and evolve, ensuring that every flight is safer than the last. As the world waits for answers, understanding the language behind the headlines is a vital first step.
