Leonardo Rejects Responsibility in Helicopter Crash Involving Leicester City Owner
Italy’s Leonardo has firmly denied any liability in the tragic 2018 helicopter crash that claimed the life of Thai businessman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. In its defense against a lawsuit, the company asserts that its AW169 model is safe and reliable.
The lawsuit, filed in London’s High Court, sees the family of Srivaddhanaprabha, who was the founder of the duty-free retailer King Power and the owner of the English soccer club Leicester City, seeking damages amounting to up to 2.15 billion pounds (approximately $2.89 billion). This case has garnered significant attention, particularly given Srivaddhanaprabha’s prominence in the world of sports and business.
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is best remembered in the UK for leading Leicester City to an astonishing Premier League title victory in 2016, overcoming odds of 5,000/1. Tragically, his helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from the stadium, resulting in a devastating fire.
Read more: Family Seeks Record $2.6 Billion After Fatal Helicopter Crash
An inquest jury determined in January that the deaths of Srivaddhanaprabha, along with two of his staff members, pilot Eric Swaffer, and Swaffer’s partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz, were accidental. Following this, Srivaddhanaprabha’s widow and their four children filed a lawsuit claiming loss of earnings and other damages. The family’s legal representatives have refrained from commenting on Leonardo’s defense.
In its written defense, released last week, Leonardo stated that it bears no responsibility for the incident, emphasizing that this was the first and only crash involving an AW169 model. The company highlighted that no regulatory authority has classified the model as unsafe for flight.
Leonardo further contended that Srivaddhanaprabha might have survived if the pilot had executed a controlled landing, which could have prevented the helicopter from catching fire.
Leonardo Expresses Sympathy, Denies Liability
“While Leonardo has every sympathy for the Srivaddhanaprabha family, the company does not believe that the claims against it are substantiated by either fact or law,” the defense document, dated December 1, stated.
In a report released in 2023, Britain’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded that the pilot was unable to recover from a tail rotor failure. Leonardo has disputed this finding, noting that no safety recommendations were directed at the company.
($1 = 0.7452 pounds)
(Reporting by Sam Tobin in London; additional reporting by Giulia Segreti in Rome; editing by Alexander Smith)
Photograph: Tributes from supporters rest at a memorial under a portrait of team owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha outside Leicester City Football Club, Monday Oct. 29 2018, in Leicester, England. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)
Italy’s Leonardo has firmly denied any liability in the tragic 2018 helicopter crash that claimed the life of Thai businessman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. In its defense against a lawsuit, the company asserts that its AW169 model is safe and reliable.
The lawsuit, filed in London’s High Court, sees the family of Srivaddhanaprabha, who was the founder of the duty-free retailer King Power and the owner of the English soccer club Leicester City, seeking damages amounting to up to 2.15 billion pounds (approximately $2.89 billion). This case has garnered significant attention, particularly given Srivaddhanaprabha’s prominence in the world of sports and business.
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is best remembered in the UK for leading Leicester City to an astonishing Premier League title victory in 2016, overcoming odds of 5,000/1. Tragically, his helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from the stadium, resulting in a devastating fire.
Read more: Family Seeks Record $2.6 Billion After Fatal Helicopter Crash
An inquest jury determined in January that the deaths of Srivaddhanaprabha, along with two of his staff members, pilot Eric Swaffer, and Swaffer’s partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz, were accidental. Following this, Srivaddhanaprabha’s widow and their four children filed a lawsuit claiming loss of earnings and other damages. The family’s legal representatives have refrained from commenting on Leonardo’s defense.
In its written defense, released last week, Leonardo stated that it bears no responsibility for the incident, emphasizing that this was the first and only crash involving an AW169 model. The company highlighted that no regulatory authority has classified the model as unsafe for flight.
Leonardo further contended that Srivaddhanaprabha might have survived if the pilot had executed a controlled landing, which could have prevented the helicopter from catching fire.
Leonardo Expresses Sympathy, Denies Liability
“While Leonardo has every sympathy for the Srivaddhanaprabha family, the company does not believe that the claims against it are substantiated by either fact or law,” the defense document, dated December 1, stated.
In a report released in 2023, Britain’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded that the pilot was unable to recover from a tail rotor failure. Leonardo has disputed this finding, noting that no safety recommendations were directed at the company.
($1 = 0.7452 pounds)
(Reporting by Sam Tobin in London; additional reporting by Giulia Segreti in Rome; editing by Alexander Smith)
Photograph: Tributes from supporters rest at a memorial under a portrait of team owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha outside Leicester City Football Club, Monday Oct. 29 2018, in Leicester, England. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira, File)
