ANGELA MERKEL

German chancellor forced to return to Berlin by helicopter after airport employee damages plane Merkel’s plane was grounded when a van collided with the nose of the jet after an excited fan jumped out of her van to take a photo of it at Dortmund airport but forgot to put the parking brake on

The German air force said in a tweet that Merkel returned to Berlin by helicopter on Monday after her plane was damaged by a vehicle, but didn’t provide further details

The accident follows a string of highly publicised breakdowns of the aging government fleet causing delays for Merkel and others.