Days After Air Turbulence, Mamata Banerjee Claims Pilot Averted Collision

Two days after her chartered flight experienced mid-air turbulence, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said another aircraft had come in front of her plane, and it was the prompt action of the pilot that averted a head-on collision.

Ms Banerjee also stated that the plane did not fall into any air pocket, rebuffing reports that had claimed otherwise.

The Bengal government had on Saturday sought a report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after Ms Banerjee's aircraft encountered turbulence, leaving her back and chest injured.

The state government also sought to know from the DGCA if approval was accorded for the route taken by Ms Banerjee's chartered flight.

She was returning from Uttar Pradesh after winding up her campaign for the Samajwadi Party.

"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 on my back and chest. I still have pain," she told reporters in the Assembly.

On Friday evening, a chartered flight carrying Ms 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, Ms Banerjee suffered injuries caused by the steep climb-down the flight had to make to cope with the turbulence.

The Chief Minister 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.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)