Reason For Leicester City Helicopter Crash Revealed

A special investigative report released on Thursday by the Air Accidents Investigations Branch has revealed that the helicopter crash which killed Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha occurred following a disconnection between the mechanism linking the pilot’s pedals with the tail rotor blades.

The AAID report declared: “The evidence gathered to date shows that the loss of control of the helicopter resulted from the tail rotor actuator control shaft becoming disconnected from the actuator lever mechanism.”

“The initiating cause and exact sequence of the failure that resulted in the loss of tail rotor control is being investigated as a priority…The AAIB is working with relevant organisations to identify any other factors that may have contributed to the loss of tail rotor control.”

Leicester City CEO,  two members of his staff, Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, as well as pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Roza Lechowicz were killed in the October 27 crash outside of the King Power Stadium.

The AW169 helicopter reached an altitude of approximately 430ft before plummeting to the ground near Leicester City’s King Power Stadium.

The AAIB says that it will continue to investigate other factors which could have led to the mechanical failure, saying that they will report any significant developments as the investigation progresses.