The pilot of a private helicopter scheduled to pick up a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader was injured after it tilted during landing in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Friday, a police official said.

The chopper was to ferry Sushma Andhare of Sena (UBT) for a public rally in connection with the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, he said.

The helicopter got tilted when the pilot tried to land on a makeshift helipad at Mahad around 9.30 am, said Raigad Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge.

Prima facie, the helicopter got enveloped by a lot of dust when it was about to touch the ground which might have caused the accident, the official said.

The rotor blades were broken and the chopper was partially damaged, he said.

The pilot was injured and rushed to the hospital, the official said.

Andhare was in Mahad for an election rally of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate Anant Gite, nominated by the Sena (UBT) from the Raigad Lok Sabha constituency, he said.

Andhare, who was also live-streaming the helicopter’s landing through Facebook, said she was to go to Baramati in Pune district to attend a campaign-related programme along with her brother Vishal Gupte.

“We realised the helicopter was approaching, but it was taking time to land. Suddenly, it crashed and was covered in a cloud of dust,” she said.

The Sena (UBT) leader said the pilot and co-pilot have not “suffered any major injuries, but are in shock”.

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