Inquest told of ‘heroic efforts’ to save people trapped in burning helicopter
Share:
Police officers made “heroic efforts” to reach five people trapped in a helicopter which was engulfed in a “wall of flames” after crashing outside the King Power Stadium in Leicester, an inquest has heard. Five people, including Leicester City FC owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, referred to as Khun Vichai in court, were killed when the Leonardo AW169 helicopter spun out of control as it was leaving the pitch after a match on October 27 2018.
During an inquest at Leicester City Hall on Tuesday, a jury heard that two police officers used a baton and fire extinguisher to try to save Khun Vichai, pilot Eric Swaffer, his partner Izabela Lechowicz, and passengers Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare.
Sergeant Mike Hooper and Constable Stephen Quartermain of Leicestershire Police were patrolling nearby in a marked vehicle when they saw the helicopter start to rotate and heard a “loud crunch” as it hit the ground. Sgt Hooper told the hearing: “It was a flash that caught my attention. I could see the helicopter was rotating and it was horizontal and moving around, and that movement drew my attention to it.
“We heard a loud crunch, a metallic sound, which indicated to me it had crashed.”. The sergeant described a “wall of flames” at the centre of the helicopter when he reached it, and he used a baton to hit the windscreen. He said: “Every time I hit it it bounced off and was repelling my baton every time.
