Helicopter crash that killed former Leicester owner in 2018 was accidental, inquest finds
Thai tycoon Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was killed along with four others when his helicopter crashed in the club’s car park
The deaths of five people in a helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium in October 2018, including Leicester City football club owner Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, were accidental, an inquest jury concluded on Tuesday.
Vichai, the Thai tycoon who pumped millions of pounds into the club that won the Premier League title in 2015-16, was killed along with four others when his helicopter crashed in the club’s car park and exploded after a match on October 27, 2018.
The Leonardo AW169 helicopter had cleared the top of the stadium before starting to spin, and plummeted to the ground before bursting into flames.
The crash also killed pilot Eric Swaffer, his partner Izabela Lechowicz, and Vichai’s staff members Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punparev. The inquest lasted two-and-a-half weeks.
Philip Shepherd, the Vichai family’s legal representative, said Swaffer was a “highly competent and very experienced pilot who did everything in his power” to control the helicopter when the tail rotor failed shortly after take-off.
Vichai’s family are actively continuing their legal action against Italian defence company Leonardo, the manufacturer of the helicopter. Leonardo said this month that they would defend themselves against the High Court claim.