Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): A major accident was averted after a private helicopter flying from Varanasi to Jabalpur developed a sudden technical fault mid-air and made an emergency landing in Katni.
Fortunately, the pilot escaped unhurt and the helicopter remained undamaged.
The incident is said to have taken place on Friday evening and an inspection team from Delhi arrived at the spot on Sunday for inspection.
The woman pilot, Simran Singh, spotted a red warning signal on the display panel and immediately decided to make an emergency landing.
The 5-seater helicopter was flying over Madhya Pradesh when the engine reportedly started vibrating and losing power.
Realising the danger, the pilot contacted the control room and requested permission for an emergency landing.
After scanning the nearby area, she chose the ground of the Government Higher Secondary School in Salaiya-Sihora village of Katni district as the safest spot and landed the helicopter safely.
Thanks to the pilot’s alertness, both the helicopter and the pilot were saved, and no damage or injury was reported.
Villagers rush to spot
As soon as villagers saw the helicopter landing in the school ground, panic as well as curiosity spread across the area.
Within minutes, a crowd of villagers, including children and women, gathered around the helicopter and began taking selfies.
Barhi Police reached the spot immediately and created a security cordon around the helicopter. On the instructions of Katni SP Abhinav Vishwakarma, additional police personnel were also deployed.
The helicopter is said to belong to a private flying company based in Bengaluru, which operates air services across several cities in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Such helicopters are usually used by MPs, MLAs, businessmen and VIP travellers.
Team from delhi reached for inspection
At the time of the incident, only the pilot was onboard. The exact cause of the technical fault is still not known, but a sudden malfunction in the engine is suspected.
After the emergency landing, the pilot informed the company’s headquarters in Bengaluru. The firm later requested security assistance from Jabalpur and Katni Police.
On Sunday morning, a team of engineers from Delhi reached Salaiya and began inspecting the helicopter.
The helicopter is currently parked safely under police supervision. For many villagers, it was the first time they had seen a helicopter from such close range, leaving them all excited.
