Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde's chopper faces technical issue before take-off
What's the story
A technical snag was detected in the helicopter of Maharashtra cabinet minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pankaja Munde on Tuesday. The incident occurred just before her scheduled flight from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Latur for Zilla Parishad election campaigning. No injuries were reported in the incident. The pilot spotted the defect moments before take-off and advised against flying, leading to an immediate postponement of the trip on safety grounds.
Campaign delay
Alternate arrangements are being made for her travel
Munde was slated to address several campaign rallies in Latur district as part of her Marathwada tour. However, the technical snag has delayed her schedule. Alternate arrangements are being made for her travel by another helicopter to ensure she can attend the planned meetings. The incident comes days after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati.
Twitter Post
Issue was flagged by the pilot
#BREAKING A technical fault was reported in the helicopter of BJP leader and cabinet minister Pankaja Munde, prompting her to cancel her planned helicopter journey from Sambhajinagar to Latur for district council election campaigning. The issue was flagged by the pilot in… pic.twitter.com/i99Xxzvhig
— IANS (@ians_india) February 3, 2026
Crash aftermath
Pawar died in plane crash
Pawar was killed when his plane crashed in an open field and burst into flames while trying to land at Baramati airport on January 28. His personal security officer, a flight attendant, and two pilots also died in the accident. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has launched an investigation into the crash.