Mumbai: A helicopter carrying deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde encountered bad weather and a storm on Thursday, prompting him to return to Mumbai.Shinde had taken off from Mahalaxmi Racecourse in south Mumbai at 3.30 pm for Murbad in Thane to attend a wedding in a party worker’s family. However, as the helicopter reached Airoli, the pilot saw an approaching storm and alerted Shinde, who decided to return to Mumbai. The helicopter subsequently landed at Pawan Hans’ Juhu facility. This is the third time in recent years that Shinde has been involved in a flight-related incident. Shinde’s office said due to the pilot’s alertness and presence of mind, the helicopter was turned back and safely landed at the Pawan Hans helipad in Juhu. All those on board including Shinde were safe.“Shortly after reaching Airoli, the pilot noticed an approaching storm system. Sensing potential danger, the pilot immediately informed DCM Shinde and advised that the helicopter should turn back instead of proceeding further. He then promptly decided to reverse course. Within the next few minutes, the helicopter successfully landed at the Pawan Hans Helipad,” an official said.Unseasonal rains have been lashing various districts in the state for the last two days. On Thursday, there was rain along with storms in Thane and Marathwada.Shinde was accompanied by his staff, including personal assistant Prabhakar Kale, special executive officer Balsingh Rajput and media adviser Vinay Patrdukar, the official said.Officials said Shinde was to land at the helipad in Bapgaon to attend a wedding in Murbad. Police security was deployed at Bapgaon helipad, which was removed on Thursday evening after he landed in Juhu.On Jan 28, the late DCM Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash along with four others while he was on his way to Baramati in Pune district.Shinde has been involved in two flight scare incidents in the past. In Oct 2024, the helicopter carrying Shinde had to return to his native village in Satara district due to rainy weather. Shinde and other passengers on board the helicopter were reported to be safe, according to officials.In Oct 2023, a Maharashtra govt helicopter carrying Shinde to Satara from Mumbai was diverted due to bad weather to Juhu. The Airbus Helicopters-manufactured chopper was 10 minutes away from Dare village in Satara, where it was scheduled to land, when the twin-engine helicopter was turned back due to inclement weather.
