Prez Pratibha Patil's chopper has a near accident

Bhubaneshwar, Dec 10: Amid the ghastly memories the chopper crash that killed former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajashekhara Reddy and the controversy stirred by Rahul Gandhi's helicopter allegedly landing despite poor visibility, the President Prathibha Patil had a close shave when her helicopter became 'unstable for a minute'.

A spokeswoman for the president who spoke on the incident said that the incident took place at 5.05 p.m on Wednesday, Dec 9, when the rotor blades of the Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper carrying the president scraped an abandoned building after landing at the airport.

The chopper was returning to Bhubaneswar from the temple town of Puri after the president's three-day visit to Orissa.

"The helicopter landed in the runway and was taxing when the rotor blade touched an abandoned building," president's press secretary Archana Dutta told a new agency.

"The president is fine, nothing happened to her," she said, adding, "She is relaxed and is meeting people also. She is aware of the incident."

The president's secretary has asked the defence ministry to initiate a probe into the incident and take appropriate action.

OneIndia News