The inquest into the tragic helicopter crash outside Leicester City’s King Power Stadium, which claimed the lives of five people, including the club’s Thai billionaire owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, has officially begun.
The crash occurred on October 27, 2018, after the helicopter, carrying Srivaddhanaprabha, passengers Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, and pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Roza Lechowicz, plummeted to the ground in a fireball moments after taking off from the stadium.
The jury inquest, which is being held at Leicester Coroners’ Court, is set to examine the cause of the crash, and tributes to each of the victims will be heard on the first day.
The inquest is expected to take three weeks, with key witnesses, emergency services, and investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) testifying.
In a statement released by his family, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, the son of the late billionaire and current chairman of Leicester City, expressed their hope that the inquest would provide answers and help prevent similar tragedies.
“My family embraces the inquest process and look forward to understanding how and why my father lost his life,” Aiyawatt said. “We want to know what has been done to ensure other families will not suffer the same terrible pain.”
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Kate Lechowicz, sister of pilot Izabela Roza Lechowicz, also spoke out, expressing the frustration and pain her family has endured over the years without answers.
“We still miss them terribly. Our children will never get to know their aunt and uncle, the adventures they had, except through the pictures we have and the stories we tell,” she said.
“We are watching closely, hoping for changes that will prevent such disasters in the future.”
In addition to the inquest, the Srivaddhanaprabha family has launched a £2.15 billion legal claim against the helicopter manufacturer, Leonardo S.p.A., alleging negligence in the design and production of the helicopter, which investigators determined had a mechanical failure involving the disconnection of the pilot’s pedals from the tail rotor.
