A private helicopter which was deployed to pick up a Shiv Sena (UBT) titled during landing in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Friday, leaving the pilot injured. The chopper was to ferry Sushma Andhare of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena for a public rally in connection with the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, an official said.
Andhare wasalso live-streaming the helicopter’s landing through Facebook. She said was to go to Baramati in Pune district to attend a campaign-related programme along with her brother Vishal Gupte.
The helicopter got tilted when the pilot tried to land on a makeshift helipad at Mahad around 9.30 am, said Raigad Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge.
The official said that the helicopter probably got enveloped by a lot of dust when it was about to touch the ground which might have caused the accident.
The rotor blades were broken and the chopper was partially damaged, he said, adding that the pilot was injured and rushed to the hospital.
Andhare was in Mahad for an election rally of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate Anant Gite, nominated by the Sena (UBT) from the Raigad Lok Sabha constituency, he said.
“We realised the helicopter was approaching, but it was taking time to land. Suddenly, it crashed and was covered in a cloud of dust,” she said.
The Sena (UBT) leader said the pilot and co-pilot have not “suffered any major injuries, but are in shock”.
