President Droupadi Murmu Narrowly Escapes Incident as Helicopter Wheels Sink into Fresh Concrete at Kerala Helipad
President Droupadi Murmu Narrowly Escapes Incident as Helicopter Wheels Sink into Fresh Concrete at Kerala Helipad
Helipad at Pramadam, hastily laid for her visit, failed to set—hospitality teams and fire brigade pull chopper to safety
President Draupadi Murmu had a close call during her official visit to Kerala this morning when the wheels of her helicopter got stuck in a depressions on a freshly-concreted helipad at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Pramadam near the Sabarimala route. Thankfully, no injuries were reported and the President continued her journey to Pamba by road.
On arrival, the President’s chopper was diverted to the stadium helipad at Pramadam due to bad weather preventing the original landing at Nilackal near Pamba. Officials explained that the helipad was prepared late Tuesday night, and the concrete had not yet fully hardened by morning. As the helicopter landed, the weight created craters beneath the wheels, causing the aircraft to sink slightly into the ground. Fire-and-rescue teams and police manually extricated the helicopter.
Key Details
- Location: Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Pramadam, Kerala
- Reason for shift: Original helipad at Nilackal unavailable due to weather
- Cause of incident: Fresh concrete not sufficiently set; depressions formed under load
- Outcome: No injuries; President Murmu continued her official visit by road
- Visit: Four-day tour of southern states, arriving Tuesday evening in Thiruvananthapuram
#WATCH | Kerala: A portion of the helipad tarmac sank in after a chopper carrying President Droupdi Murmu landed at Pramadam Stadium. Police and fire department personnel deployed at the spot physically pushed the helicopter out of the sunken spot. pic.twitter.com/QDmf28PqIb
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2025
Why It Raises Concerns
Officials admit that the last-minute arrangement left little margin for safety checks. The incident spotlights the risks of emergency infrastructure improvisation. Aviation and protocol experts note that helipads need adequate curing time for concrete, proper load-bearing assessment, and clearance before landing.
