Helicopter Pilot Did All He Could to Save Leicester City Owner, Inquest Reveals.
Police officers undertook “heroic efforts” to rescue five individuals trapped in a helicopter engulfed by a “wall of flames” following its crash near the King Power Stadium in Leicester, as revealed during an inquest.
The incident resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the owner of Leicester City FC, who was referred to as Khun Vichai in court. The Leonardo AW169 helicopter lost control while departing the pitch after a match on October 27, 2018.
During the inquest held at Leicester City Hall on Tuesday, the jury learned that two police officers employed a baton and a fire extinguisher in their attempts to save Khun Vichai, pilot Eric Swaffer, his partner Izabela Lechowicz, and passengers Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare.
Sergeant Mike Hooper and Constable Stephen Quartermain of Leicestershire Police were on patrol in a marked vehicle when they observed the helicopter begin to spin and heard a “loud crunch” as it made contact with the ground. “We heard a loud crunch, a metallic sound, which indicated to me it had crashed.” The sergeant recounted encountering a “wall of flames” at the helicopter's center upon his arrival, and he attempted to break the windscreen with his baton. He stated: “Every time I hit it, it bounced off and repelled my baton every time.”
“There was some slow movement from the pilot, possibly because he was dazed.
“It was incredibly hot at that point, the heat was pretty much unbearable. The aircraft was popping and banging – I did not know how long it was going to be before it went up.”
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Pc Quartermain told the inquest he saw three people trapped in the back of the aircraft who were “moving their arms and legs around”.
He said of the pilot: “He was looking at me but not reacting. I didn’t know whether he was unconscious, but certainly unresponsive at that point.”
Pc Quartermain added tearfully: “The flames started to take to the rear of the aircraft. It was at that point I realised the people were going to die.”
Both officers told the hearing the pilot had been shouting “get me out of here, help me”.
Philip Shepherd KC, representing the relatives of Khun Vichai, told the officers: “On behalf of the family of Khun Vichai can I congratulate you on the heroic efforts you made that night to try to save the lives of the people who tragically died.”
John Ledwidge, former grounds manager at Leicester City, told the inquest he saw the moment the aircraft caught fire after it “aggressively” spun to the ground.
He added that club owner Khun Vichai was an “investor in people’s dreams”.
He said: “He touched a lot of people with his generosity, his warmth and humour. I felt like I was part of the family.”
