The details of the tragic helicopter crash which claimed the life of the football boss and
The tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of Leicester City owner Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others in October 2018 has been officially ruled an accident, according to an inquest jury.
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The fatal incident, which occurred shortly after a Premier League match at King Power Stadium, sent shockwaves through the football world, especially among fans of Leicester City, the club Vichai helped lead to an extraordinary Premier League triumph in 2015-16.
Findings from inquest into Srivaddhanaprabha crash
The inquest, lasting two and a half weeks, concluded that the crash was caused by a failure in the helicopter's tail rotor.
Shortly after takeoff, the Leonardo AW169 helicopter began spinning uncontrollably before crashing and bursting into flames in the stadium car park.
Investigations revealed that issues with the tail rotor bearing triggered a sequence of mechanical failures, making recovery impossible for the pilot.
Despite the uncontrollable failure, pilot Eric Swaffer, described as highly skilled and experienced, managed to soften the impact enough that four of the five passengers survived the crash.
Tragically, post-mortem examinations confirmed that the subsequent fire claimed their lives. The crash also killed Swaffer’s partner, Izabela Lechowicz, and Vichai’s staff members Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punparev.
Legal battle over tragic helicopter crash
Vichai’s family has since launched a legal claim against Leonardo, the Italian manufacturer of the helicopter, seeking compensation of £2.15 billion ($2.67 billion); the largest fatal accident claim in English legal history.
Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Vichai’s son, criticised Leonardo for failing to ensure the helicopter’s safety. “It was Leonardo’s responsibility to make sure the helicopter was safe. It wasn’t safe. It was a death trap,” he stated.
Leonardo, while expressing sympathy for the victims, defended their safety standards, asserting that the helicopter met all regulatory requirements and industry standards. The company emphasised that the crash was a "tragic accident."
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has backed the conclusion that the crash was unavoidable under the circumstances, given the mechanical failures.
Khun Vichai, who was Thailand’s fifth-richest individual at the time of his death with a net worth of $4.9 billion, left an indelible mark on Leicester City and his legacy lives on, both on and off the pitch.