Four helicopter crash victims 'died from smoke'

Four of those who died in the Leicester City helicopter crash may have survived if the aircraft had not caught fire, an inquest has heard.

Club chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha died on 27 October 2018 alongside fellow passengers Kaveporn Punpare, Nusara Suknamai, pilot Eric Swaffer and his partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz.

Pathologist Dr Michael Biggs carried out post-mortem examinations on each of the five people who died and told the inquest on Wednesday that Ms Lechowicz died from injuries sustained in the impact of the crash.

He added that the other four people on board would have died "quite rapidly" from smoke inhalation from the fire that broke out after it crashed outside the King Power Stadium.

Warning: This story contains details that readers may find upsetting

On Monday, the inquest began in front of a jury, who will determine who the deceased were - and when, where and how they died.

Dr Biggs talked the jury through the details of each post-mortem examination of the victims.

He said all of them suffered lower spinal fractures from the helicopter's impact with the ground.

Dr Biggs concluded the medical cause of Ms Lechowicz's death was head and chest injuries from the collision with the ground.

The medical cause of deaths of the other four victims was given as inhalation of products of combustion.

He said toxicology reports showed a low level of carbon monoxide in their blood, which suggested they would have succumbed "quite rapidly" to the smoke.

He added that it was entirely possible, indeed likely, that had it not have been for the fire, the injuries sustained by those four would have been survivable.

A statement from Mr Vichai's son Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, known as Khun Top, was read out to the jury on Wednesday.

The statement set out a timeline of the helicopter's purchase, for €7.5m (£6.3m), and explained how the helicopter was used to transport Khun Vichai to Leicester City matches and transported monks, guests, sponsors and first team players at times.

The statement named Sloane Helicopters as the company responsible for the aircraft's maintenance from February 2017.

Director of the company Jeremy Awenat gave evidence on Wednesday, explaining to the jury that the helicopter received two annual inspections and regular visual inspections from Sloane engineers.

Mr Awenat said that, with the aircraft in the early stages of its life, the crash came as "a great shock" to both Sloane Helicopters and the wider industry.

He added that no issues had been raised with that particular helicopter from engineers or its pilot.

So far, the inquest has heard evidence from several eyewitnesses of the crash, including Leicester City staff, two police officers and other emergency service personnel.

The crash occurred shortly after Leicester City's 1-1 home draw with West Ham United, when the Leonardo AW169 helicopter took off from the pitch at 20:37 BST.

It reached an altitude of about 430ft (131m) before spinning out of control and crashing outside the stadium.

Sgt Michael Hooper and PC Stephen Quartermain happened to be driving nearby, having just been released from duty, and were the first emergency service workers at the scene of the crash.

The helicopter had come to rest on its left hand side after the crash, meaning neither side doors could be accessed, the jury heard.

Sgt Hooper attempted to smash the windscreen, but the inquest heard it would have required specialist equipment to break the glass.

A fire caused by a "significant" fuel leak began to spread, with the officers describing the heat as "unbearable".

Both officers said they heard the pilot, Mr Swaffer, shouting for help from inside the aircraft after it had crashed.

An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report, published in September 2023, found the crash was "inevitable" after a sequence of mechanical failures, and said the pilot could have done "very little" to save everyone on board.

The inquest - which is expected to last between two and three weeks - continues.

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