The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has found that mechanical failure caused a helicopter crash in 2010, after a tail rotor bearing seized.
The crash was inevitable because of a failure in the bearing that caused the plane to veer sharply to the right, losing control. Pilot Eric Swaffer could not prevent the crash and was cleared of any errors.
As reported by BBC News, the last words of the pilot who died in the helicopter crash were “I’ve no idea what’s going on.”
Mr Swaffer’s partner, Izabela Roza Lechowicz, was also killed in the crash. She was a pilot herself. The crash also took the lives of two staff members of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who owned the football team.
According to the report, four of the five passengers survived the initial crash but were killed in a subsequent fire that engulfed the wreckage in less than a minute.
The accident was a tragedy, and we at the company are deeply saddened by the loss of life. Our thoughts are with the victims’ loved ones and everyone affected by this terrible event.
Mr Srivaddhanaprabha bought Leicester City in 2010 for a reported fee of £38 million. In 2016, he oversaw a fairy-tale Premier League triumph that made him a legend within the city.