Kathmandu. Ahmedabad: A plane crashed in Gujarat’s capital Ahmedabad on Thursday. The Air India flight was on its way to London from Ahmedabad and crashed shortly after take-off.
The plane made a ‘mayday call’ to the ATC. “After that, the Air India aircraft did not respond to the ATC’s call,” ani reported quoting the DGCA. Shortly after taking off from runway 23, the plane crashed into the ground outside the airport limits. Heavy black smoke billowed from the crash site. ’
What is ‘mede call’?
A mede call is an emergency sign. It is used to save lives. It is especially used in airplanes and seafarers. It is also used during fire or police action. ‘Mayday Mayday Mayday’ is spoken three times in a row during emergencies. This call is different from other messages.
According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), it has a default structure. This format includes the mede call, the name of the associated station, the symbol of the aircraft called, the type of emergency, weather, pilot demand, situation, height, fuel and the number of passengers.
How and when did the mede call start?
There was a senior radio official named Frederick Stanley McFord in London. In 1921, he was asked to look for words that referred to danger and emergency. This term should be easily understood by pilots and ground staff. That’s why he coined the word ‘Mayday’. It comes from the French word m’aider. Which means ‘help me’. Earlier SOS and Morse codes were used for this purpose. McFord thought pilots and ground staff often spoke french. That’s why he chose the French word.
