President Patil safe after chopper accident

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/president_patil_safe_after_chopper_accident.php

President Pratibha Patil, her husband Devisingh Shekhawat and Orissa Governor M C Bhandari had a close shave on Wednesday, when three blades of the helicopter ferrying them back from Puri hit an asbestos shed at Bhubaneswar airport.

All three VVIPs are safe. "The President is continuing with her schedule, and is relaxed," her spokesperson said, adding, "The Air Force will investigate the chopper mishap."

Three blades of the 16-seater helicopter struck the shed, uprooting its asbestos roof; all the blades bent under the impact.

The President was returning to Bhubaneswar after inaugurating an Urban Haat at Puri.

In February this year, a plane carrying 150 passengers narrowly missed colliding with an Air Force chopper at Mumbai airport. That chopper was part of a three-helicopter formation, one of them had Preisdent Patil on board.