Leicester City helicopter crash inquest begins as police officers' desperate act to try and save victims is revealed - after five people including club chairman died in 2018 tragedy
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The inquest into Leicester City's tragic 2018 helicopter crash heard on Monday how police officers tried desperately to break the vehicle's windscreen after it came down. Five people including the club's chairman Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, 60, were killed in the accident which saw the helicopter engulfed in flames after crashing.
![[The inquest heard how police officers tried to break the windscreen of the aircraft after it came down (pictured: pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Roza Lechowicz)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/16/94043895-14276335-image-a-2_1736786512763.jpg)
The aircraft had spun out of control just seconds after taking off from Leicester' King Power Stadium, violently tailspinning into wasteland near the ground before being engulfed in flames. Last week the club's billionaire Thai owners launched a legal battle with the helicopter's manufacturer, an Italian company called Leonardo SpA, seeking £2.15billion in compensation. It is the largest fatal accident compensation claim in English legal history.
![[Fellow passengers Nusara Suknamai (right) and Kaveporn Punpare (left) died in the crash]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/16/94027285-14276335-Nusara_Suknamai-a-3_1736786597380.jpg)
A report in September 2023 found that there were safety concerns regarding the aircraft, that Leonardo could have made important modifications to prevent the crash, and that the the pilot was unable to prevent the crash following a tail rotor failure. It found the crash to be 'inveitable' and said the pilot could have done 'very little' to stop it.
![[The helicopter, which was deemed to have had safety concerns in 2013, set on fire after falling]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/16/93957013-14276335-The_scene_at_Leicester_city_football_ground_where_the_owner_Vich-a-5_1736786605313.jpg)
At Monday's inquest, jurors were shown footage of two police officers, who had been driving nearby, arriving at the scene within a minute of the crash. The inquest into the helicopter crash which killed Leicester chairman Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others in 2018 has begun.
![[A report in 2023 deemed that the crash had been 'inevitable' due to safety failings]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/13/16/94043917-14276335-image-a-7_1736786986617.jpg)
