£2.15bn claim over helicopter crash that killed former Leicester City owner
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A £2.15 billion legal claim has been launched over the helicopter crash that killed Leicester City Football Club’s former owner, a PR firm acting for his family has said. Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others were killed when his personal aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from the club’s King Power Stadium in October 2018.
Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s family allege Leonardo S.p.A., which manufactured the helicopter, is liable for his death. It is seeking £2.15bn in compensation for loss of earnings as a result of the Thai billionaire’s death, the pain he experienced before he died, and funeral expenses, PR firm Portland said.
A 209-page Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report said “serious concerns” had been raised about the aircraft’s safety, according to Portland. Portland said the family launched High Court action on Friday, and added: “The report found the crash was caused by the seizure of a key component located in the tail rotor, which Leonardo had identified in the design phase as being critical, and its failure catastrophic.
“This failure prompted a sequence of further failures which drove the helicopter into an uncontrollable and accelerating spin until it crashed and erupted into flames.”. Multiple failures in Leonardo’s design process caused the component to seize, Portland said.
