Joyride chopper makes emergency landing after bird hit, pilot hurt

Panic gripped the Lalitha Mahal helipad here for some time on Sunday morning after one of the joyride helicopters made an emergency landing as it was hit by a bird.

The helicopter joyride is being held for past 15 days as part of Mysuru Dasara festival.

The helicopter, belonging to Pawan Hans, had to make an emergency landing as it was hit by an eagle. The glass panes of the aircraft’s front portion were damaged and the pilot suffered minor injuries due to the impact. However, all the passengers were safe, sources said.

There were seven people, including the pilot, on the helicopter, at the time of the incident. Soon after the bird hit, pilot Srinivas Rao managed to control the aircraft and made a safe landing. An injured Rao was rushed to a hospital.

According to sources, the chopper took off from the helipad at 9.30 am and was flying near the Mysuru Palace, when an eagle hit it.

The pilot managed to control the aircraft and assured the passengers of a safe landing. He alerted the control room immediately, before making an emergency landing.

The technical reasons for the incident will be known only after an inspection by the Director General of Civil Aviation, an official said.