Leicester stadium helicopter disaster inquest to start next month - six years after tragedy
6 December 2024, 14:22 | Updated: 6 December 2024, 14:25
Inquests into the deaths of the five people killed in the King Power Stadium helicopter crash will begin next month - more than six years after the tragedy.
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Inquests into the deaths of the five people on board the helicopter that crashed outside Leicester City's football stadium will begin on January 13, six years after the tragedy.
The owner of Leicester City Football Club at the time, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was one of the people that were killed in the crash in 2018.
Leicester Coroner's Court heard that witnesses, emergency services and corporate witnesses will be called to give evidence when the hearing begins on January 13, 2025.
The Leicester City owner died alongside staff members Kaveporn Punpare and Nusara Suknamai, pilot Eric Swaffer and crew member Izabela Lechowicz when the helicopter came down near the stadium shortly after take-off from the pitch.
An investigation found that the crash happened after the pilot's pedals became disconnected from the tail rotor.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) also found that the Leonardo AW169 helicopter reached an altitude of approximately 430ft before plummeting to the ground near the stadium after a match, where the aircraft was rapidly engulfed in a post-impact fire.
Read more: Memorial garden to open in memory of Leicester City helicopter crash victims
Friday's pre-inquest review was told that the pen portrait tributes "telling the jury and others about the life, background and personality" of each victim will be heard on the first day of the inquests.
Leading counsel to the inquest, Jonathan Hough KC, told the review hearing the inquest would examine the mechanical cause of the crash, with the first witness being a principal inspector from the AAIB.
It was also confirmed the jury will hear evidence about a tail rotor bearing fitted to the helicopter.
Adjourning the pre-inquest review, Leicester Coroner Catherine Mason said she would deliver rulings on preliminary matters relating to the inquests before Wednesday next week.
