Anxious moments gripped Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and his entourage after a fire was noticed just before take off in the silencer of the helicopter in which they were to fly to Mysuru on Saturday.
Siddaramaiah, home minister K J George and PWD minister H C Mahadevappa and a senior official were asked to disembark from the helicopter owned by a private aviation firm as the fire was noticed at the HAL airport, the chief minister's office said.
A harsh sound emanated from the silencer before the fire caused by a technical glitch was noticed, as the pilots were readying for take-off, it said in a statement.
The chief minister was going to his hometown to take part in several developmental programmes in Mysuru district after attending a Yoga campaign in Bengaluru.
Siddaramaiah later left by road for Mysuru, the statement said.