People around India and the world were shocked to see the news on Thursday, as an Air India plane crashed only after flying from Ahmedabad. Flight, AI 171, were on the way to London and 242 people, including pilots and crew, were on board. It is a matter of regret that it never removed it. Within a few moments of lifting from the airport, the aircraft lost contact and crashed in a crowded residential area called Meghani Nagar. If you went to the TV News or X (East Twitter), the video emerged of thick smoke, which looked frightening, and the emergency teams reached the spot. While everyone tried to understand what had gone wrong, many turned into a flight tracking website, called flightradar24. This showed the final movements of the aircraft and quickly became one of the most talked platforms.

But what is really flightradar24, and why did it matter that day?

Flightradar24, or simply flightradar, is a real -time flight tracking service that allows users to look at the aircraft movement anywhere in the world. It uses a network of ground receiver to collect signals broadcast by aircraft, causing public access to data, height, speed and even data such as aircraft models and registration details. In the case of AI 171, the forum recorded the final known signal of the aircraft at the IST exactly 1:38 am. This showed that the aircraft used the entire length of the runway before the takeoff. The data also revealed the small climb of the aircraft and rapid damage in height, suggesting that something went wrong immediately after the takeoff.

Such moments occur when platforms such as flightradar suddenly receive relevance. When there is an accident or a suspected aerial emergency, people – including aviation enthusiasts, journalists and regular citizens – turn to these trackers for live updates and technical clues. In fact, Flightradar data is now often quoted in breaking news, and its illustration and flight tracts appear in television bulletin and social media discussions. This is why Flightradar24 has become a discussion during the aviation tragedies. Since the incident, Flightradar’s data is also trending on X.

While flightradar24 is the most famous, it is not only one. Services such as radarbox, flight, and flight awareness provide equal insights. However, it was Flightradar24 that the first AI 171 confirmed that it had reached just 625 feet in height with a speed of 174 knots before disappearance from the map.

What does it mean to you and me? Today, any person with a smartphone can track an aircraft in the sky. And during moments of crisis, this power is all more visible. In the hours after the AI ​​171 accident, the last route of the flight, speed and height were not just technical details – they became the first signs of a disaster in progress, captured in real time and shared worldwide.