Soon after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s chartered flight experienced "mid-air turbulence" while she was returning to Kolkata from Uttar Pradesh, she admitted that it was the prompt action of the pilot that averted a head-on collision.
The Bengal government had on March 5 sought a report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after Banerjee's aircraft encountered turbulence, leaving her back and chest injuries.
The state government also sought to know from the DGCA if approval was accorded for the route taken by Banerjee's chartered flight. She was returning from Uttar Pradesh after winding up her campaign for the Samajwadi Party.
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"Another plane, all of a sudden, came in front of my aircraft. If the situation had continued for 10 more seconds, there would have been a head-on collision. It was due to the efficiency of the pilot that I survived. The plane climbed down 6,000 feet. I suffered injuries in my back and chest. I still have pain," she told reporters in the Assembly.
Banerjee also claimed that her plane did not fall into any air pocket. On the evening of March 4, a chartered flight carrying Banerjee from Varanasi to the city faced turbulence, causing the plane to rock violently.
The pilot managed to land it safely at Netaji Subhas Chandra International Airport. However, Banerjee suffered injuries caused by the steep climb-down the flight had to make to cope with the turbulence.
The CM was on board a Dassault Falcon 2000, which is a 10.3-tonne lightweight plane with a capacity of carrying a maximum of 19 people, including two flight attendants.
(With inputs from agencies)
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