The pilot of the helicopter that crashed that claimed the life of the owner of the Leicester City football club said:
“I don’t know what’s going on,” as the plane was slowly losing control.
Eric Swaffer, 53, made this comment seconds before the helicopter crashed outside the club’s King Power stadium on October 27, 2018, a report from the Accident Investigation Branch Aviation (AAIB) revealed.
Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, employees Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, Mr Swaffer and his partner, Izabela Roza Lechowicz – also a commercial pilot – were all killed in the crash that occurred shortly after when the helicopter took off from the scene.
The Leonardo AW169 helicopter reached an altitude of about 430 feet before crashing to the ground.
Investigators found the pilot’s pedal had been disconnected from the tail rotor. The plane then made an abrupt right turn and was “uncontrollable”.
The AAIB described it as “a catastrophic incident”, which caused the helicopter to spin rapidly, about five times.
As the helicopter lost control, a shout rang out:
“Hey hey Hey!” The AAIB said it came from the rear cabin, where Mr Vichai and his staff were sitting.
Mr. Swaffer, a very experienced pilot, replied:
According to the report, “I don’t know what’s going on” and “exhale an exclamation”.
The AAIB said it “taken the most appropriate actions”, including raising the lever to reduce the helicopter’s pitch angle and “reduce the impact”. The plane landed on a concrete ladder and stopped on its left side.
Four of the five occupants of the plane survived the initial impact, but none survived when the helicopter caught fire within a minute of the massive fuel leak.
The crash happened about an hour after the Premier League match between Leicester City and West Ham United.
The AAIB investigation found that the control system failed because the tail rotor bearing failed because its ceramic balls slid instead of rolling due to pressure build up.
When asked if this was “an impending accident,” AAIB senior technical inspector Adrian Cope told reporters:
“It is a continuous development process. “This bearing failure has accumulated over time. »
Bearing inspections were only required after 400 hours of use, but the helicopter had only flown 331 hours when the accident occurred.
The AAIB said one of the “contributing factors” to the crash was regulations that did not require maintenance checks to check for wear and tear on bearings compared to their original design.
The 209-page report ruled out drone involvement and pilot error.
Crispin Orr, AAIB’s Director of Air Accidents Inspection, said:
“The AAIB conducted a thorough investigation to determine why the crash occurred and how safety could be improved.”
Authorities in Canada, France, Italy and the United States are also involved in the investigation due to the production site of many key components.
The AAIB has issued eight safety recommendations to the European Aviation Safety Authority (Easa) – whose aircraft certification rules are reflected by the UK Civil Aviation Authority – to “address weaknesses or omissions” in the helicopter certification regulations. They involve the design, validation and monitoring of safety-critical components.
The manufacturer and Easa made further changes to the AW169 and AW189 groups when investigators became aware of the issue.
The statue of Mr Vichai was inaugurated at the stadium last April.
As a Leicester fan for over 50 years, this was the saddest day in the clubs history. The “Boss” was one of the kindest human beings. He gave away so much money to help the local community, as well as his investment in the Club itself. It was tragic that 4 other people lost their lives with him. They will never be forgotten.