Fadnavis unhurt in Latur chopper crash

Chopper was bought by ex-CM Prithviraj Chavan in 2011 for ₹52 crore

May 26, 2017 12:48 am | Updated 12:48 am IST

Close call: The helicopter carrying Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after it crash-landed at Nilanga in Latur on Thursday.

Close call: The helicopter carrying Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after it crash-landed at Nilanga in Latur on Thursday.

Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had a narrow escape on Thursday when the helicopter carrying him and five others crash-landed seconds after it took off from Nilanga in Marathwada’s Latur district. Though none of the four passengers and two pilots suffered serious injuries, it has raised questions on the safety and maintenance of the State-owned helicopter, purchased during the tenure of Congress CM Prithviraj Chavan in 2011. The Aircraft Accident Bureau, a division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, will probe the accident.

Aviation officials said the Sikorsky VT-CMM helicopter took off from a temporary helipad at Nilanga around 11.55 a.m. A video of the incident shows the chopper going down before it had reached 100 feet, hitting a high tension power line in a shower of sparks before coming in contact with a parked truck and crash-landing around 100m from the helipad within 40 seconds of take-off. To the relief of the gathering, all occupants emerged unhurt from the damaged aircraft.

Wind trouble

According to aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the helicopter’s pilot encountered a variable wind pattern, and decided to return. Unfortunately, the helicopter became entangled in the power lines during the attempted landing. “Prima facie it appears a sudden change in wind pattern caused the accident. We have sent a three-member team comprising officers from Mumbai and Delhi to conduct a preliminary inspection of the helicopter and the crash site,” a Ministry of Civil Aviation official said.

Officials said two things proved to be saviours for Mr. Fadnavis and the others: one, the helicopter had a fire-resistant fuel tank, and two, it had crash-proof wheels.

Mr. Fadnavis thanked the people of the state and god for their blessings which ‘saved him.’ Informing about the incident on Twitter, Mr Fadnavis said, “Our helicopter did meet with an accident in Latur but me and my team is absolutely safe and ok. Nothing to worry.”

‘A matter of seconds’

Accompanying Mr. Fadnavis were three Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) officials including senior IAS officer Pravin Pardeshi. Ketan Pathak, the CM’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) suffered minor injuries. “We knew something was wrong as soon as it took off. It was a matter of a few seconds and we were told by the pilots that we were going in for an emergency landing.” He added that had it not been for the pilot’s skills, the story could have been different. “I just prayed to god in those few seconds. Everyone was terrified and displaced from their seats,” he said.

According to government officials, the electricity supply was cut off when the helicopter hit the power lines, which saved passengers from being electrocuted.

Third incident in a month

This is the third incident this month in which a helicopter carrying Mr. Fadnavis has experienc ed a technical snag. On May 12, after his visit to Gadchiroli, a different chopper carrying him developed trouble, forcing Mr. Fadnavis to travel to Nagpur by road. A week ago, his scheduled visit to Satara was marred when the Sikorsky helicopter that crashed on Thursday developed a snag, delaying the CM by 30 minutes.

Former CM Prithviraj Chavan, who had purchased the chopper in 2011 for ₹52 crore, said he had taken the Sikorsky’s track record for safety into consideration. “This is one of the safest choppers. It must be checked to find out if it had been maintained properly, as it is a new chopper.”

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