“Mayday, mayday”, was the last radio call made by the pilot of Air India flight 171 heading to London, just before it went down, resulting in the deaths of over 270 individuals.

Mayday is a globally recognized emergency term used to communicate a distress signal to air traffic control. Primarily, it’s utilized by pilots and ship captains to indicate an emergency when their vessel is close to disaster. It serves to notify rescue services.

History

The term ‘Mayday’ was created in the early 1920s by Frederick Stanley Mockford, who worked as a radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. He chose it as a phonetic adaptation of the French phrase m’aider, which means “help me”, making sure it was clear in communications across the Channel. By 1923, it was already a common term in international radio communication for both pilots and sailors, and in 1927, it was officially recognized along with the Morse code signal “SOS.”

By 1923, it was integrated into global radio communication for pilots and sailors, and in 1927, it was officially adopted along with the Morse “SOS”. The Mayday call is a universally acknowledged distress signal used by pilots, sailors, and other professionals during emergencies to ask for urgent help and assistance. It indicates a critical situation, like a major technical problem, an accident, or an immediate threat to the crew or passengers.

Upon receiving the MAYDAY call, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) and other aviation authorities are notified to prioritize the organization of rescue operations and to extend the required assistance to the aircraft in distress.

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