Mid-air scare: Eknath Shinde’s helicopter makes U-turn amid bad weather

NEW DELHI: A helicopter carrying Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde was forced to return to Mumbai on Thursday afternoon after encountering bad weather mid-flight, officials said.

According to news agency ANI, Shinde was travelling from Mumbai to Murbad in Thane district to attend a wedding ceremony in the family of a Shiv Sena office-bearer.

The helicopter had taken off from the helipad at Mahalaxmi Racecourse at around 3:30 pm.

In a statement, the office of the deputy CM said the helicopter deviated from its scheduled route after the pilot noticed an approaching storm system near Airoli in Navi Mumbai.

“Due to the pilot’s timely alertness and presence of mind, the helicopter was turned back and safely landed at the Pawan Hans helipad in Juhu,” the statement said.

“No one was injured in the incident, and all those on board, including Deputy CM Shinde, are safe,” it added.

Pilot alerted Shinde about approaching storm

The pilot informed Shinde about the deteriorating weather conditions and advised against continuing the journey. Following the warning, the deputy chief minister decided to return to Mumbai immediately.

The helicopter later landed safely at the Pawan Hans facility in Juhu.

According to news agency PTI, Shinde was accompanied by members of his staff, including personal assistant Prabhakar Kale, special executive officer Balsingh Rajput and media adviser Vinay Patrdukar.

The development comes months after a major aviation tragedy involving then Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who died in a plane crash on January 28 while travelling to Baramati in Pune district. Four others were also killed in the crash.