BREAKING: A plane bound for Gatwick airport has crashed shortly after take off in India with hundreds of people on board. The Air India flight was departing from Ahmedabad shortly after 9am BST. Reports suggest at least 242 people were on board. Julia Hartley-Brewer

@JuliaHB1 Thoughts and prayers with everyone involved in this tragedy.

@JuliaHB1 R.I.P.😢

@JuliaHB1 Many comments about the lack of flaps, looks like due to black boxes and video the truth will come out in due course. Awaiting NTSB report.

@JuliaHB1 There were 53 British nationals on board

@JuliaHB1 First hot take as an airline pilot is that the relatively inexperienced co-pilot raised the flaps after takeoff instead of raising the landing gear. On a hot day and heavy the aircraft lacked the energy to climb away safely. So pilot error most likely cause as 1st guess.

@JuliaHB1 That’s really dreadful news !

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@JuliaHB1 On the inside of the plane?

@JuliaHB1 The fact it was struggling to lift off iniducates it's overweight. Tragic 3rd world type overloading of transport. Too many heavy hand luggage items allowed onboard. Possibly too many above Avg weight.

@JuliaHB1 You're now interviewing a self proclaimed aviation analyst barely into his 20s who's never piloted an aircraft on why this aircraft may have failed, (a) he's not a pilot, (b) he's not an aircraft engineer. (c) he clearly knows little of what a stall is in an aircraft. Madness.