Was the doomed helicopter stuck in ‘dead man’s curve’?

FROM TAKE-OFF TO FIREBALL, HOW THE HORROR UNFOLDED

‘Almost certain the tail rotor has gone’

THE doomed Leicester City helicopter pilot may have been become stuck in a ‘dead man’s curve’ after the aircraft’s tail rotor failed, experts suggested last night.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing the stricken aircraft losing control and spinning rapidly seconds after lifting off from the turf at the King Power stadium.

It crashed into the stadium car park about 200 yards away at around 8.30pm. Witnesses reported hearing a ‘grinding noise’ and then an eerie silence as the engine of the AgustaWestland AW169 stopped in mid-air.

Ryan Brown, a freelance photographer, told BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘I heard the helicopter take off. I turned around and there was a whirring and crunching sound and then it got quiet, it was out of control.

‘The blades had stopped spinning and then there was a big bang and a big fireball, and a lot of people ran to the scene when I came around the corner.’

Other eyewitnesses said they heard the ‘engine stop’ in mid-air just after take- off before the aircraft plummeted to the ground in the club’s car park at around 8.30pm.

One added: ‘The helicopter was hovering near the stadium roof after taking off and then it started to come down. There were flames everywhere, it was horrible to see it happen in front of us.’

Leo Bruka, 27, who lives near the stadium, said was driving home from work when he saw the helicopter falling.

He added: ‘It was spinning very quickly. It didn’t fall in the fans’ car park. It fell inside the territory of the stadium.’

Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who owns the Thai duty free company King Power, travels to every home game in his private helicopter and frequently takes off from the pitch’s centre-circle after games to return to his Berkshire base.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has been called in to look into the tragedy.

Harry Benson, a former Royal Navy commando helicopter pilot who served in the Falklands, stressed that it was far too early to say what caused the disaster.

But he said if the witness accounts are correct, there was a problem with the helicopter’s tail rotor. Its job is to keep the aircraft steady and stop it from spinning in the opposite direction to the main rotor blade.

‘It sounds like the helicopter was spinning. If that is the case then it is almost certain the tail rotor had gone,’ said Mr Benson, 58. He said it was likely the pilot got stuck in a ‘dead man’s curve’ which is almost impossible to get out of.

This is when the aircraft is flying too slowly and at too low an altitude to shut down the engines and perform an emergency landing.

Helicopter pilots are trained to turn off the engine to stop the aircraft from spinning and then use the air moving through the main rotor blades to glide to safety.

Mr Benson added: ‘This is what would be called a catastrophic failure and it would have been bloody terrifying.

‘If it was at low altitude and at low speed there would have been very little he or she could have done. The whole thing is too horrifying to think about even for experienced pilots. If the helicopter was spinning it would almost certainly the tail rotor going.’

Jim Rowlands, a former RAF Puma crew member, also said the reports the helicopter was spinning suggested a problem with the tail rotor. He said pilot error, a collision with a drone or poor maintenance could have caused the crash. But he told the BBC his ‘gut feeling’ was there was a mechanical problem.

‘If you lose your tail rotor it’s almost impossible to recover from,’ he said. ‘It would be more luck than judgment if you were to survive.’

Data showed that Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s helicopter set off from near Surrey’s Fairoaks Airport at 2.45pm and travelled toward south-west London. It made a stop in Fulham at around 3pm. It was recorded as flying over Wembley at 3.20pm as it made its way to Leicester.

Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s party arrived at the club’s Belvoir Drive training ground in Aylestone, a suburb of Leicester, at 3.58pm. It is around a six-minute drive to the King Power stadium.

The helicopter took off again at 7.45pm and the pilots made their way toward the King Power to pick up the Leicester owner. The match kicked off at 5.30, ending at 7.25pm in a 1-1 draw.

At around 8.30pm, on live BT Sport coverage, Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s helicopter could be seen taking off from the King Power Stadium. Moments later a loud explosion could be heard.

The investigators will sift through the wreckage to attempt to find any evidence of a technical problem which may have caused the crash.

The same model of helicopter is used by the Children’s Air Ambulance, as well as by air ambulance crews around the country. The helicopter which crashed is owned by a company registered in the Isle of Man called Foxborough Ltd.

Among its directors are Mr Srivaddhanaprabha and his son Aiyawatt, the vice- chairman of the football club, who was not thought to be on board.

Pilot Eric Swaffer and co-pilot Izabela Lechowicz are understood to have worked directly for Mr Srivaddhanaprabha.

The crash has inevitably raised concerns about the dangers of helicopter travel and the particular aircraft in question.

The AW169 has only been in production since 2015, with a total of 60 sold since then. The £6million helicopter, which is built in Vergiate, northern Italy, has never been involved in a crash, according to its manufacturer Leonardo.

But it has been beset by technical difficulties which have delayed production and brought it to the attention of safety watchdogs.

The main issue was a technical problem with the landing gear

which caused it to jam and caused it to be censored by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

In an ‘air-worthiness directive’ issued on June 2017 the regulator said the technical problem could result in damage to the helicopter and injury to the occupants.

It instructed Leonardo to replace the faulty components, designed to make the landing gear retract, on the affected helicopters.

Last night Leonardo insisted this was ‘not a safety issue’ and said the problem has been resolved. Experts also pointed out that even if it had not been resolved it would have been highly unlikely to be linked to the Leicester crash.

But the Civil Aviation Authority said it has powers to issue a safety recall of aircraft – much like the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency can do for cars – if a serious technical problem is discovered.

Leonardo said it will help the AAIB with its investigations.

A spokesman said: ‘Leonardo is extremely saddened to hear of the fatal accident yesterday evening involving an AW169 helicopter at Leicester City Football Club’s stadium. We wish to offer our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of those involved.

‘Leonardo Helicopters is ready to support the AAIB with their investigation to determine the cause of this accident. This is the first ever accident involving an AW169 helicopter.’

An AAIB spokesman said: ‘A team from the AAIB has been deployed to the site and is investigating. Anyone with information that might be helpful to the investigation is asked to contact the police.’

The crash could be heard on the live BT Sport coverage after the game. Moments later presenter Jake Humphrey appeared on screen looking ashen faced and announces the aircraft has crashed.

He later told viewers: ‘Things have taken a very sad turn in the last few moments.

‘We’ve just seen the Leicester City owner’s helicopter take off from the centre circle here at Leicester City. It’s something that is a very regular feature for us. We often sit here after the games and see the helicopter take off, make remarks about owning a football club and flying in a helicopter.

‘However, it’s suddenly got very serious because the helicopter that took off from here just about five minutes ago whilst we were live on air... has crashed.

‘It’s crashed in the club car park just outside the window here.

‘No news on casualties, no news on who was in the helicopter, nothing’s been confirmed.’