Inquest jury reaches conclusion on Leicester City helicopter crash

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 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 takeoff.

Vichai's family are actively continuing their legal action against Italian defence 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.

The evidence presented during the inquiry in Leicester indicates fundamental engineering flaws in Leonardo’s processes, stemming from the failure of the tail rotor bearing.  This failure led to the collapse of the tail rotor system, causing the helicopter to lose control and ultimately resulting in this tragic incident. The defect had been present since the design phase of this helicopter model and was never rectified.

Over the two-week inquiry, critical evidence emerged showing that the tail rotor bearing of the Leonardo AW169 helicopter fractured after only 330 flight hours, despite being designed for a service life of 2,400 hours. This failure caused the tail rotor system to collapse, leading to a loss of control and a crash.

Evidence suggests this incident was an accident waiting to happen. Given the helicopter’s design, such a catastrophic failure was inevitable.

Leonardo was aware of this risk from the outset but failed to address it. Additionally, the company did not share flight test results with the component manufacturer, even though tests indicated the tail rotor system endured significantly greater compressive forces than theoretical calculations predicted.

Leonardo recognized the risk of a major accident due to its design flaws and acknowledged their potential to cause system failure.

A simple design modification—previously implemented in an earlier Leonardo helicopter model—could have prevented the catastrophic midair spinning caused by bearing failure. However, for unexplained reasons, Leonardo chose not to apply this fix to the AW169.

Throughout the design process, Leonardo had multiple opportunities to identify and mitigate these risks but failed to do so. Alarmingly, its engineering team initially assessed that if the bearing failed, the tail rotor control shaft would tear but remain in place. In reality, the shaft detached completely from its securing bolt.

For unknown reasons, Leonardo also withheld flight test data from the component manufacturer. These tests revealed that the tail rotor system experienced immense compressive forces far exceeding the theoretical model’s calculations.

Leonardo’s statistical assumptions were also deeply flawed. The bearing, designed to last 2,400 flight hours, failed after just 330 hours. Further investigations by the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) uncovered three additional bearings in similar deteriorating conditions, nearing failure far earlier than expected.

This tragic event highlights severe deficiencies in Leonardo’s design, testing, and risk assessment processes. 

"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 Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, 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."

" He was the great leader of our family—a devoted husband, a loving father, and a cherished grandfather. We feel the loss of his presence every single day. A visionary leader with unwavering determination, he embodied success through perseverance and hands-on dedication. No words can truly capture the greatness of his legacy. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the city of Leicester for its overwhelming support. He will always be remembered, and his passing will remain in our hearts forever." Aiyawatt said about his father.

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."

It expressed its deepest sympathy for the victims of the crash, saying their deaths were "an unquestionable tragedy".

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) ruled in 2023 that it was not possible for the pilot to recover from the tail rotor failure.

The pilot had managed to land softly enough for four of the five people on board to survive the impact, according to post-mortem examinations, only for them to be killed by fire.

Investigators found that problems with the bearing in the tail rotor of the helicopter began a sequence of failures leading to the crash.

The family of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha continues to seek justice and accountability for this devastating loss.