‘It wasn’t safe, it was a death trap’

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THE deaths of five people in a helicopter crash at the King Power Stadium in October 2018, including Leicester City soccer 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 famously 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 Oct. 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.

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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 takeoff.

Vichai’s family are actively continuing their legal action against Italian defense company Leonardo, the manufacturer of the helicopter. Leonardo said this month that it would defend itself against the High Court claim.

The family is seeking compensation for loss of earnings and other damages, valued at 2.15 billion pounds ($2.67 billion)—the largest fatal accident claim in English legal history.

Deloitte’s report said the top 20 revenue generating clubs in the world made a record $11.6 billion in the 2023-24 season.

“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. It was a death trap,” said KhunAiyawattSrivaddhanaprabha, the son of Vichai.

“My family are thankful to Senior Coroner (Catherine) Mason for her inquest which has shone a spotlight on what happened on 27 October 2018.”

According to Forbes magazine, Vichai was the fifth-richest person in Thailand at the time of his death with an estimated net worth of $4.9 billion.

Leonardo said on Tuesday that it agreed with the inquest jury’s conclusion that this crash was a “tragic accident”.

“As the jury recorded, the aircraft had all the relevant airworthiness certificates,” Leonardo told Reuters.

“This is entirely consistent with the evidence provided to the inquest, that the helicopter was designed and produced in accordance with all regulatory requirements, meeting the accepted industry standard for safety.”

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