Helicopter crash drama
King Power dream helicopter trip ends in drama
THE pilot of a helicopter which crashed on take-off had just returned from a trip flying over King Power stadium to fulfil the dying wish of a Leicester City fan.
Andy Morris had landed the borrowed £300,000 Robinson R44 aircraft on a field behind his parents’ home, in Shilton Road, Barwell, near Hinckley, to drop off his passengers after Saturday’s trip.
But as he tried to take off again, things went badly wrong.
Andy, 47, of Stapleton, near Hinckley, had flown terminal cancer sufferer Dave Richardson, 47, of Hinckley, his nephew, 20-year-old Joe Adcock, and Joe’s girlfriend, Tia Tomlinson, over the King Power Stadium in an hourlong trip.
But when the experienced helicopter pilot tried to take off again, his parents, builder Tony Morris, 78, and his wife, Janet, could only watch in horror as the drama unfolded.
The passengers who had just alighted also sat aghast at what was unfolding.
The single-rotor aircraft seemed unable to take off before tilting over, scattering bits of rotor and other aircraft parts over a wide area.
The group then watched in disbelief as Andy climbed out, apparently unscathed, after crashing through the windscreen in the impact, which tore off the tail section and wrecked the rotor blade.
Mum Janet said: “I was just shouting, ‘Andy, get out, get out.’”
Dad Tony, a well-known local builder and owner of Tony Morris Properties, said: “Can you imagine watching this while your son is in the aircraft with that happening?
“I’ve been to church this morning to say thank you for what is nothing less than a miracle.
“Dave’s dying wish was to go up in a helicopter over the King Power Stadium.
“Andy has held a helicopter pilot’s licence for 10 years and said he would see what he could do.
“When they landed and we were sitting round having a glass of orange squash, Dave said it was the best day of his life.”
Janet said: “Andy got back in the helicopter, did all his safety checks and the engine was revving up.
“But the rear end wouldn’t lift and all of a sudden it toppled over. Thankfully, when he got out, there was hardly a scratch on him.
“He borrowed the helicopter from a friend who has been to see him since, and hugged him to say he was glad he survived.”
Both parents praised the “fantastic” efforts of the emergency services.
Mr Richardson’s mum, Sandra, 74, of Hinckley, said of her son’s once-in-alifetime trip: “Dave really enjoyed it, he was as high as a kite, he was so excited, but he had difficulty sleeping last night after what happened, but he did have a marvellous time.
“I’m a friend of Andy’s mum and dad and when they heard about Dave’s wish, Tony said ‘leave it with me.’
“It’s an awful thing to have happened at the end of such a lovely trip.”