Yavatmal: 24-year-old builds chopper, dies after blades slashes his neck

In a tragic incident, a 24-year-old school dropout, who wanted to build a helicopter himself, died after one of the blades of the helicopter slashed his neck.The tragic incident took place at Fulsawangi village in Mahagaon tehsil of the district on Tuesday night.

The 24 year-old identified as Sheikh Ismail Sheikh Ibrahim had discontinued his studies after class 8. He was working in his elder brother Mussavir’s gas welding workshop. He was passionate about trying something new and wanted the world to know his village.

Sheikh was inspired by the movie 3 idiots and decided to build a helicopter in the village. He watched a lot of Youtube videos to gather all the information regarding the design and assembly of his dream project. It took at least two years for him to build the chopper. “Ismail decided to test the flying machine near his workshop. On Tuesday night, he occupied the pilot seat and started the engine as some of his friends watched in awe,” said his friend Sachin Ubale.

When the rotor wings started moving speedily, the tail rotor blade assembly got ripped off from the body and hit the main blades on the top. “Even before anyone could understand what was happening, a piece of the broken blade slashed Ismail’s throat and he collapsed to the ground,” said Ubale.
Those present at the spot rushed him to hospital and he was taken to a hospital in Pusad. However, he breathed his last before any medical aid could be provided. “He used to wear a helmet and headphone every time he tested the chopper. But on the fateful night, he did not wear both,” said Ismail’s another friend Harish.