Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 carrying 242 people, crashed after taking off from Ahmedabad on its way to London.

An Air India flight bound for Delhi from Hong Kong was forced to return shortly after takeoff due to a suspected technical issue

The aircraft, Air India flight AI-171, took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday afternoon and crashed shortly after in the Meghaninagar area. The plane burst into flames upon impact. Fire and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to douse the blaze, confirmed fire officer Jayesh Khadia.

Air India and Boeing are in the midst of significant turnarounds, but knowing the cause of the crash of Flight 171 will take a lengthy investigation.

Boeing was generating optimism. Then on Thursday a 787 crashed, raising the specter of fresh problems for Boeing and altering the message it planned to send.

The pilot of the London-bound Air India jet that crashed Thursday put out an urgent call as the Boeing 787-8 quickly lost altitude on takeoff. “Mayday ... no thrust, losing power, unable to lift,” Sumeet Sabharwal told traffic control less than a minute into the flight,