Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis survived yet another helicopter mishap at Alibaug on Friday, raising serious questions about the quality and safety of choppers used for VVIPs.
A senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official confirmed that a report had been sought from the two pilots of the Bell 230-type helicopter. The aircraft is owned by UY Aviation, who have a registered office in Vile Parle. The 22-year-old helicopter, once owned by the Uttar Pradesh government, had been hired by an agency empanelled by the State government after it lost its own helicopter when it crash landed in Latur on May 25.
The Rotary Wing Society of India (RWSI), a not-for-profit society dedicated to the promotion of helicopters as a safe and effective mode of transport, called for a thorough probe into the incident. “An audit of companies providing helicopters to State governments has to be conducted by the DGCA,” Air Vice Marshal (retired) K. Sridharan, president, RWSI, said.
Mr. Sridharan said preliminary information showed the nose wheel of the helicopter had turned while landing. “Before take-off, the wheel was moved back to the straight position through the choppers centring mechanism. This should not have been done when the VVIP was walking towards the helicopter to board it. The pilots should have waited for the doors to be closed before moving. This is clearly a pilot error and a case of the Standard Operating Procedure not being followed,” he said.
DGCA officials also noted that the CM should not have boarded while the helicopter rotors were running. “Had it been anything worse, there were chances of serious injuries had the chopper’s tail rotor struck anyone,” the official said.
Previous Incidents
The first helicopter mishap occurred on May 12, when Mr. Fadnavis’s helicopter developed a snag in Gadchiroli. As the district is Maoist-hit, it was important to get the CM out of the area before dark and Mr. Fadnavis was driven towards Nagpur. The snag was attributed to excessive heat.
On May 25, Mr. Fadnavis had a narrow escape when a helicopter carrying him crash-landed in Latur. The helicopter, which had six persons on board including two crew members, became entangled in overhead wires while taking off from Nilanga village, where the CM was attending a programme.
