Devendra Fadnavis in Alibaug has another helicopter scare, this is the third in two months

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had a narrow escape when his helicopter suddenly took off as he was about board it at a helipad in Alibaug, Raigad on Friday afternoon, reports IANS. Raigad collector PD Malikner confirmed the incident and told Firstpost that Fadnavis was in Alibaug to attend MLC Jayant Patil’s birthday function. The Chief Minister’s Office clarified that there was no ‘accident kind of situation,’ but it was rather a close shave.

Maharashtra:Chief Minister Office clarifies "there was no accident kind of situation with CM D. Fadnavis' helicopter in Alibaug today."

— ANI (@ANI) July 7, 2017

Following the incident, the helicopter and its parts were checked and Fadnavis headed back to Mumbai. [caption id=“attachment_3787125” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The chopper which Devendra Fadnavis was to alight from Alibaug. Image courtesy: Sanjay Sawant[/caption] According to preliminary reports by officials, as Fadnavis was preparing to board the chopper, it suddenly took off and its rotating wings came very close to his head. However, an alert security personnel lunged forward and helped the chief minister escape injury from the chopper’s blades, a district official told mediapersons. In the past two months, Fadnavis has faced three helicopter incidents. The first incident occurred on 12 May when Fadnavis’ helicopter developed a snag in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra. According to NDTV, the district is affected by left-wing extremism and it was important to get Fadnavis out of the area before it became dark. The report adds that after the chopper failed to lift off, the chief minister was immediately driven off towards Nagpur. Officials stated that the snag occurred due to excessive heat. Following this incident, Fadnavis survived another major scare on 25 May, when a helicopter carrying him crash-landed in Latur . The helicopter, which had six persons on board including two crew members, got entangled in overhead wires while landing at Nilanga area where the chief minister had held a programme. “It was a case of crash-landing. When we took off, we noticed that the chopper was slanting. There was air pressure. It brushed against (electric) wires,” Fadnavis said, after reaching Mumbai by another aircraft from Latur. Fadnavis and his aides who were travelling with him also escaped unhurt. With inputs from agencies.