Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who was scheduled to fly to Mysuru, had to travel by road after fumes were noticed in the helicopter at the HAL airport on Saturday morning.
Mr. Siddaramaiah was accompanied by Home Minister K.J. George, Public Works Minister H.C. Mahadevappa and his Joint Secretary M. Ramaiah.
HAL Airport police officials said that a few minutes after the engine started, fumes were seen near the rotor around 11.10 am.
The dignitaries disembarked and decided to proceed to Mysuru by road.
Officials said the helicopter — model EC 135 VT PEC — belonging to Prabhatam Aviations, New Delhi, was five years old.
“We suspect it to be a short-circuit, but engineers are examining it to determine what caused the fumes,” said a police official, adding that there was no panic as the Ministers and official alighted safely.
Panic among supporters
Laiqh A. Khan adds from Mysuru:
In Mysuru, however, government officials said the fire was noticed after the helicopter took off, forcing them to make a hurried landing. Mr. Siddaramaiah was scheduled to participate in a series of programmes in Mysuru.
The reports of a minor fire in the chopper caused panic among a large number of Congress supporters, who had gathered at the Lalit Mahal helipad.
Many of them began making frantic calls to their friends in Bengaluru.
After reaching Mysuru in the afternoon, the Chief Minister told the gathering at a programme, organised by the Department of Archaeology, that his arrival in Mysuru was delayed owing to a technical problem in the helicopter.
