(TibetanReview.net, Jan 21) – A helicopter taking the Dalai Lama from Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh state to Gulbarga in neighbouring Karnataka state developed a technical fault mid-air on Jan 20 but it landed safely, reported the PTI news agency Jan 20. The electrical fuse fault was described as “not major”.
It said the Bell 430 helicopter of Andhra Pradesh Aviation Corporation was used by the state’s Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy till about two months earlier. However, since the state acquired a new Agusta Westland helicopter for the Chief Minister, the Bell chopper was being used for training pilots.