Action needed after helicopter crash, coroner says

Urgent action must be taken to address concerns about helicopter rules after a crash killed five people near Leicester City's stadium, a coroner said.

The football club's chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, fellow passengers Kaveporn Punpare and Nusara Suknamai, pilot Eric Swaffer and Mr Swaffer's partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz all died in the crash on 27 October 2018.

A prevention of future deaths report was sent to the European Union Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) after an inquest into the crash.

Coroner Prof Catherine Mason said current aviation rules might not adequately prevent crucial parts from wearing out prematurely and cause failures.

Part makers may not receive all the detailed flight and system test data from manufacturers, so they cannot fully check if they are safe, the coroner wrote.

Prof Mason said concerns were raised about the lack of clear rules on how long some important helicopter parts should last and how they should be inspected, especially for aircraft already in use.

The coroner wrote of worries that helicopter makers are not currently required by regulations to thoroughly check critical parts after removal from service, which could help catch problems early.

She highlighted concerns raised during the inquest about the lack of clear rules for calculating stresses on key helicopter parts and the need for better standards to ensure ongoing safety.

Her report pointed to "failure modes analysis at a system level".

The coroner wrote: "In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths, and I believe that each of EASA and the CAA have power to take such action."

The Leonardo AW169 helicopter spun out of control after it took off from the pitch following a match between Leicester City and West Ham.

The helicopter began to spin when Mr Swaffer tried to do a right-hand turn over the stadium to take Mr Vichai and the other passengers to Stansted Airport, an inquest jury previously heard.

An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report found that the helicopter began uncontrollably spinning when a bearing in the tail rotor "seized" after its lubrication broke down, jurors were told.

The aircraft landed on its left-hand side on a 1.6ft (0.5m) concrete step, causing a fuel leak which ignited and "rapidly" engulfed the helicopter in flames.

The jury of 11 people, who heard evidence over two weeks, concluded that the deaths were accidental.

Four of the five victims died due to smoke inhalation and it is likely they would have survived their injuries if the fire had not started, the inquest heard.

The cause of Ms Lechowicz's death was given as "significant" head and chest injuries, and she would have died "extremely quickly" after the helicopter crashed.

Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.