The deaths of five people, including the former Leicester City FC owner, killed when a helicopter crashed outside the city’s stadium and became engulfed in flames, have been ruled as accidental by an inquest jury.
An inquest into the deaths of club chair Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the helicopter’s pilot, Eric Swaffer, his partner and co-pilot, Izabela Lechowicz, and passengers Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare concluded at Leicester city hall on Tuesday, over six years after the 2018 crash.
The jury’s conclusion said: “The helicopter had all airworthiness and maintenance certificates. It was found that the pilot took all available and appropriate options to try to regain control of the helicopter.”
Senior coroner Catherine Mason instructed the jury that only an accidental conclusion could be reached, as they could not legally dispute the findings of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) which in 2023 found the crash was a “tragic accident” caused by mechanical failure.
A worn ball bearing in the helicopter’s tail rotor led to a loss of control after takeoff from Leicester City’s King Power Stadium and the helicopter spun to the ground. Four of the five people onboard were found to have survived the initial crash and died when the aircraft was engulfed in fire less than a minute later.
Mason said she would “seriously consider” issuing a prevention of future deaths report, after taking advice from industry bodies.
Paying tribute to the victims of the crash, she said: “Five innocent lives were cruelly lost on 27 October 2018, lives that were cut too short.
“This huge loss will be borne by the families for the rest of their lives, a loss that is also felt by the community of Leicester. It has been a long journey. Just over six years for you, the families, to get the answers you wanted as to how your loved ones came by their deaths.”
Mason also praised the emergency services workers who responded to the crash, saying that “large numbers of extremely brave men and women selflessly strived to deal with the aftermath of this crash”.
The inquest heard evidence from first responders, including a police officer who heard the pilot shouting for help after the helicopter crashed to the ground, and who attempted to use his baton to break the windscreen before it was engulfed in flames.
Earlier this month, Srivaddhanaprabha’s family announced they were suing the company which made the aircraft, Leonardo SpA, for £2.15bn, alleging the crash was caused by the design of the helicopter.
A spokesperson for Leonardo UK said the company “intends to defend this claim”, and said the AAIB report concluded that it complied with all regulatory requirements.
Responding to the inquest conclusion, Srivaddhanaprabha’s son, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, said: “My father trusted in the design of this helicopter. It was Leonardo’s responsibility to make sure the helicopter was safe. It wasn’t safe.”
