Aimed copter away from crowds» Club’s owner died in fireball
Leicester City chief & 4 others die in heli crash Tragic pilot hailed hero for saving lives in stadium
THE Leicester City crash pilot has been hailed a hero for steering the doomed helicopter away from fans at the busy football ground.
Five died in Saturday night’s horror, including club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
One witness said: “The pilot saved hundreds of lives.”
THE world of football was in a shock yesterday after the tragic death of Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a helicopter crash.
Billionaire Vichai was killed with two friends, the pilot and co-pilot when the chopper came down close to Leicester’s King Power stadium on Saturday night.
The Thai businessman, 61, was popular with fans and the crash has been described as the club’s “darkest day”.
But witnesses said the tragedy could have been much worse had it not been for the heroic actions of the pilot in guiding the stricken aircraft away from the 32,000-seat ground.
The chopper appeared to develop engine trouble shortly after taking off from the pitch at about 8.30pm, an hour after an evening match had finished.
More than 1,000 staff, corporate guests and members of the media were still inside the ground at the time.
A witness said: “If it had hit the stadium or even landed near the entrance who knows what would have happened? The pilot probably saved hundreds of lives. It’s still a tragedy, but it could have been much worse.”
The helicopter crashed and exploded on a wasteland near the stadium. Two hero police officers tried in vain to rescue the victims by smashing the windows.
Corporate guest Shane Carmichael, 32, was walking to a taxi at the time.
He told the Mirror: “It’s a sight that will live with me for the rest of my days. Nobody could have survived.
“I heard the helicopter and saw it right above the stadium. It was making a funny sound. Then it was tipping to one side and the rotors seemed to stop.
“It sounds mad but it was like the pilot was trying to get away from the stadium. There were still lots of people about.
“Then it came down behind the factory next to the car park. It was a massive explosion. The place lit up.”
Sky Sports News cameraman Dan Cox, who was in the car park, said: “I heard it coming out of the stadium. The next
thing I just looked up and it was spinning, static, just out of control. I don’t know how the pilot did it but he seemed to manage to slow down the rotation and it drifted off into the corner part of the car park. He managed to crash that helicopter in a part of the ground where
there wasn’t anybody there. The pilot was heroic and the two police officers in front of me, who also tried to help, they are heroes too.”
Several Leicester players were still inside the stadium after their team’s 1-1 draw with West Ham.
One witness claimed goalie Kasper Schmeichel tried to run to the scene to give aid. Photographer Ryan Brown said the luxury chopper was silent as it crashed. He added: “It was spinning out of control. The blades had stopped spinning and then there was a big bang and a big fireball.”
Vichai had been filmed by TV cameras boarding the helicopter on the pitch with a female companion.
BT Sport was broadcasting postmatch coverage as it took off. Host Jake Humphrey, in the studio with pundits Owen Hargreaves, Chris Sutton and John Hartson, looked shaken when he broke the news of the after an advert break. Foxes legend Gary Lineker said Saturday night’s Match of the Day was the “most difficult” he had ever hosted.
An Air Accident Investigation Branch probe is now under way.
The doomed £6million aircraft was bound for Luton Airport, where Vichai was due to catch a private jet to Bangkok. It went down in a car park in an area packed with residential, commercial and industrial units.
RYAN BROWN WITNESS TO HELICOPTER CRASH HORROR
Italian aircraft manufacturer Leonardo said it was the first accident involving one of its Agusta Westland AW169 helicopters.
Vichai’s son Top, chief executive of King Power International – the dutyfree giant founded by Vichai – was last night flying to the UK. Married dad-ofcrash four Vichai bought Leicester in 2010. His cash helped the club become Premier League champions in 2016.
Thousands of saddened supporters and fans from other clubs left flowers and scarves at a makeshift shrine outside the stadium’s North Stand yesterday. One fan said: “It is probably the darkest day in our club’s history.”
A group of young Thai footballers on a scholarship to Leicester City prayed at the shrine. Their coach said: “Vichai paid for the boys to come to Leicester. They wanted to pray for the chairman and thank him.”
A minute’s silence was held before Manchester United’s match with Everton at Old Trafford yesterday.
Leicester City’s Carabao Cup home clash against Southampton tomorrow night has been postponed.
The blades had stopped spinning, then there was a big bang and a fireball