In a shocking incident, a helicopter’s door detached from the aircraft and came crashing down into a residential area at Lalapet in Secunderabad, panicking the citizens. However, no one was injured in the mishap.
The door, about 3 feet by 4 feet and weighing 20 kg, fell in Yadav Basthi, on the terrace of Ganesh Yadav’s home.
The low-flying aircraft flying 2,500 feet above ground was owned by the Telangana State Aviation Academy (TSAA), reported Times of India.
Reportedly, a painter who was working on the terrace had a miraculous escape, as he had gone to have lunch.
Narrating the incident, Ganesh told Deccan Chronicle he was at home at about 12.15 pm when the incident occurred. He said that he was at home making arrangements for a puja to be performed at his place on Thursday when he heard a loud noise and thought it was a cylinder explosion.
“If the door had fallen two feet away, there could have been loss of life as it was time to fill drinking water in the area,” he told DC.
He added, “If the puja were to have been performed today, the terrace where the door fell would have been packed with my relatives and the damage beyond imagination. It is God’s grace that the puja was postponed and our lives are saved.”
A witness said that the aircraft lost height after the door got detached. However, it recovered its height and continued flying.
The aircraft, a Diamond DA 42 of Austrian make, had two pilots in the cockpit when the incident occurred. However, they landed safely in the academy premises in Begumpet, reported DC.
Police who visited the spot after the incident, took away the door.
Lalaguda SI, B Ramu told TOI, “We will hand over the aircraft part to the Telangana State Aviation Academy tomorrow.”
Telangana State Aviation Academy vice principal N Chandra Shekar Rao said, “The two pilots safely landed at the Begumpet Airport, from where the training flight took off. The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation has been informed about the incident and the reason for the door detachment will be known once the investigation is complete.”