The actions of Eric Swaffer, a highly experienced helicopter pilot, have been praised in a report from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (Picture: PA)
The pilot of a helicopter that crashed outside Leicester City’s stadium in October 2018 was heard saying ‘I’ve no idea what’s going on’ seconds before the disaster.
All the people on board, including the football club’s owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, pilot Eric Swaffer and three other passengers, were killed in the tragedy.
A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has revealed Mr Swaffer’s confusion in the final moments before the crash.
He had taken off from the pitch at the King Power Stadium just minutes earlier, and the Leonardo AW169 helicopter reached an altitude of approximately 430ft before it plummeted.
Among the others who died were Leicester City employees Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, and Mr Swaffer’s partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz, who was also a pilot.
Investigators discovered that the pilot’s pedals became disconnected from the tail rotor, causing the aircraft making a sharp right turn which was ‘impossible’ to control.
The AAIB said someone in the rear cabin, where Mr Vichai and his employees were seated, could be heard shouting: ‘Hey, hey, hey!’ as the helicopter began moving unpredictably.
Mr Swaffer, a highly experienced pilot, responded by saying: ‘I’ve no idea what’s going on’ before he ‘uttered an exclamation’.
The report praises his response as ‘the most appropriate actions’ for the situation.
Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha bought Leicester City in 2010 and was in charge for their legendary Premier League title win in 2016 (Picture: PA)
The club owner had been lifted away from the stadium in the helicopter several times before the incident (Picture: PA)
He had arrived earlier that day to pick up Mr Vichai and the two employees following a match between Leicester City and West Ham.
News of the accident was met with shock from fans and the wider football community, who laid a carpet of flowers, flags and football shirts outside the stadium in the days afterwards.
A statue of Mr Vichai was unveiled at the stadium in April last year.
A huge banner of Mr Vichai was unfurled by Leicester City fans on the three-year anniversary of the crash in 2021 (Picture: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
Mr Swaffer was previously pictured meeting the Dalai Lama (Picture: PA)
The 209-page AAIB report ruled out drone involvement and pilot error, finding that the control system failed because a bearing in the tail rotor broke up due to its ceramic balls sliding rather than rolling, which was caused by a build-up of pressure.
Asked if this was ‘an accident waiting to happen’, the AAIB’s senior inspector for engineering Adrian Cope told reporters: ‘It was a process which built up continuously.
‘The damage in that bearing built up over a period of time.’
The agency made eight safety recommendations to the European Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) – whose rules for aircraft certification are mirrored by the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK – to ‘address weaknesses or omissions’ in regulations for certifying helicopters.
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The football club’s owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was among five killed in the crash.
