Zeenews Bureau
Bhubaneshwar: President Pratibha Patil Wednesday had a narrow escape when the rotor blades of her military helicopter grazed an abandoned building after landing at the airport here, a spokeswoman for the president said.
The incident happened at 5.05 p.m. when the Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper was returning to Bhubaneswar from the temple town of Puri carrying the President, who had come to Orissa Tuesday on a three-day visit.
"The helicopter landed in the runway and was taxing when the rotor blade touched an abandoned building," president's press secretary Archana Dutta told IANS in New Delhi. It was the second scare for 75-year-old Patil during a
flight this year.
Eight other passengers on the 16-seater-chopper that
included her husband Devisingh Shekhawat and Orissa Governor M
C Bhandare also escaped unhurt, a senior police official said.
The IAF has ordered a Court of Inquiry into the accident
which occured when the helicopter bringing Patil back from
Puri was taxiing to the parking bay after landing.
The chopper's three rotor blades got twisted after it hit
an asbestos shed whose roof was ripped off, Sanjay Jain,
Director of the Biju Patnaik Airport said. The shed which was
once a hangar was being used as a store-room, he added.
Orissa Home Secretary A P Padhy said, "Everybody in the
helicopter is safe though there has been some damage to the
chopper due to the mishap that took place around 4:40 PM."
"A Court of Inquiry has been ordered, IAF spokesperson
Wing Commander T K Singha said in Delhi.
A senior official said the visibility and weather
conditions were normal at the time of the accident.
Two other helicopters accompanying the President's
chopper landed safely a few seconds later, officials said.
A major collision was averted at Mumbai airport on
February 9 after an IAF chopper, part of Patil’s helicopter
convoy, was given clearance to land on a runway on which an
Air India flight had been cleared for take-off.
A probe, jointly carried out by the IAF and the DGCA,
had found that the chopper landed on the runway without
clearance from the air traffic control.
President's Secretary Christie Fernandes spoke to
Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar immediately after the
iancident and said there should be a thorough probe.
Air Marshal(Retd) Denzil Keelor, an aviation expert, said
the incident involving Patil's chopper was "serious."
The President, who was returning from a visit to the
Sun Temple in Konark and Shri Jagannath temple in Puri drove
to the Raj Bhavan immediately afterwards, Bhubaneswar airport
Director Sanjay Jain said.
The Airport director and other senior officials of the
Airports Authority of India (AAI) held an emergency meeting
after the mishap to examine all aspects related of the
accident, they said.
Patil, who had arrived here on a three-day maiden
visit to Orissa, is scheduled to leave the state tomorrow
morning.
IAF orders inquiry
The Indian Air Force has instituted
a Court of Inquiry into the incident.
"A Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the incident,"
IAF spokesperson Wing Commander T K Singha said here.
"The helicopter was returning from Puri and Konark and
had landed at the Bhubaneshwar airport. While taxiing in, its
blades hit a shed near the parking bay and were damaged. The
incident took place around 1700 hours today. Everyone in the
chopper are safe," he said.
The DGCA will also probe various aspects of the incident,
official sources said.
-PTI
First Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009, 00:37