The inquest into the deaths of five people in a helicopter crash outside Leicester City’s stadium has heard police officers tried to break the aircraft’s windscreen after it crashed.
Police officers in a patrol car spotted the helicopter, on its way from the King Power Stadium to London Stansted Airport, as it dropped.
A police sergeant, who was on the scene within seconds, tried to smash the windscreen with a baton to get into the cockpit, but the coroner was told it was a “very strong structure” designed to withstand a bird strike at a speed of 180mph (290kph).
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Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in 2016. File pic: AP
Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) principal inspector Mark Jarvis said: “You would need specialist equipment to get through the windscreen.”
Stills from a police bodycam and dashcam were also shown at the inquest, capturing the helicopter on fire and showing an officer returning to his vehicle to collect an extinguisher.
Leicester’s owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, died in the 2018 crash, along with two of his staff, Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer, and Mr Swaffer’s girlfriend Izabela Roza Lechowicz, a fellow pilot.
As the inquest opened at Leicester City Hall on Monday, the jury heard pen portraits of the victims, with Mr Srivaddhanaprabha described by his family as a “caring and devoted husband, father, uncle and grandfather”.
In a tribute read to the court by family barrister Philip Shepherd KC, the relatives called him “a great inspiration to us all and we all loved him very much.
“He was adored by everyone for his kind spirit, generosity, charm, sense of humour and intellect,” they said.
Kate Lechowicz, Ms Lechowicz’s sister, described her in a statement read to the inquest, as an “extraordinary individual” who “exuded a passion for life” and who “accomplished her task with grace and efficiency”.
Kate Lechowicz also read a statement in tribute to the helicopter’s pilot, Mr Swaffer, and said: “He was great company. He had profound love for aviation, technology, travel, his motorbike and life in general.
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Wreckage of the helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium. File pic: Reuters
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Emergency services outside the King Power Stadium in Leicester after the crash. File pic: PA
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Tributes from supporters at the ground. File pic: AP
“There was nothing he had not tried his hand at. He excelled at everything he did.”
Tributes were also paid to passenger Kaveporn Punpare, who had a young daughter and was one of several butlers employed by the late Leicester City chairman.
A statement prepared for the inquest by his wife said he had initially worked for Khun Vichai as an assistant butler who accompanied family members on trips.
Meanwhile, Ms Suknamai, a former Miss Thailand contestant, was described at the inquest as a “pillar” of her family.
They said in a statement prepared by a lawyer: “This is the greatest loss for the family. We will never forget it.”
Jurors were played footage shot by a supporter from the side of the pitch, showing the twin-engine Leonardo AW169 helicopter taking off at 8.37pm, before going into a spin and disappearing from view behind a stand.
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Mr Jarvis said: “It will move forward slightly and then it will begin a rearward climb over the stadium roof. You will see it start to enter a right-hand turn. It will start to rotate rapidly and descend behind the stadium.”
Last week, City’s owners launched a lawsuit against the helicopter’s manufacturer, Italian company Leonardo SpA for £2.15bn.
It’s the largest fatal accident claim in English history, according to the family’s lawyers, based on compensation for the loss of earnings and other damages, as a result of the billionaire’s death.