2018 Leicester helicopter crash facts for kids
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G-VSKP, the aircraft involved, in August 2016
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 27 October 2018 |
| Summary | Loss of yaw control due to tail rotor control linkage failure |
| Place | Leicester, England 52°37′07″N 1°08′27″W / 52.61861°N 1.14083°W |
| Passengers | 4 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | AgustaWestland AW169 |
| Airline/user | Amadeus Aviation |
| Registration | G-VSKP |
| Flew from | King Power Stadium, Leicester, England |
| Flying to | Luton Airport, Luton, England |
On 27 October 2018, an AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter crashed in Leicester, England. It had just taken off from King Power Stadium, which is the home ground of Leicester City F.C.. The helicopter was on its way to Luton Airport.
Sadly, all five people on board died in the crash. This included the pilot and four passengers. One of the passengers was Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who owned the Leicester City football club. Investigators later found that the crash happened because the helicopter lost control of its tail rotor. This part helps the helicopter turn.
Contents
The Flight's Journey
Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha often used this helicopter to travel to and from Leicester City's matches. It was a common sight for the football fans.
On the day of the crash, the helicopter first flew from Fairoaks Airport in Surrey. The pilot and his girlfriend were on board. They then stopped at London Heliport to pick up three more people. These were Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and two of his staff members.
The helicopter arrived at the Leicester City Football Club Training Ground. Everyone got out and went by car to the stadium for the game. After the match, the pilot and his girlfriend flew the helicopter to the stadium. They were there to pick up Vichai and his staff, as they usually did. People even saw the helicopter getting ready to take off on TV during a post-match show.
The helicopter was planning to fly to London Luton Airport.
The Crash
| Nation | Deaths |
|---|---|
 Thailand |
3 |
 United Kingdom |
1 |
 Poland |
1 |
| Total | 5 |
With five people on board, the helicopter took off from inside the stadium around 8:37 PM. As the pilot tried to turn the helicopter, a part that controls the tail rotor broke. This made the helicopter spin out of control. One person who saw it said the helicopter fell "like a stone to the floor."
It crashed in Car Park E, which was about 200 meters from the stadium. The helicopter immediately caught fire. Two police officers and some club staff tried to help. But they had to step back because of the intense heat and flames.
The next day, the police confirmed that everyone on board had died. The five people who passed away were:
- Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (club owner)
- Kaveporn Punpare (staff member)
- Nusara Suknamai (staff member)
- Eric Swaffer (pilot)
- Izabela Roza Lechowicz (pilot's girlfriend)
Two police officers, Michael Hooper and Stephen Quartermain, were burned and breathed in smoke while trying to help. They later received special awards for their bravery.
The Helicopter Involved
The helicopter that crashed was an AgustaWestland AW169. Its registration number was G-VSKP. It was built in 2016 and could carry 10 people. The helicopter weighed about 4,500 kilograms. It had two powerful engines made by Pratt & Whitney Canada.
This was the first time an AW169 helicopter had been completely destroyed in a crash.
The Investigation
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) started looking into the accident. Experts from other countries also helped. These included people from Italy, where the helicopter was made, and Canada, where its engines were made.
The helicopter's flight recorder, which is like a black box, was found the day after the crash. It was badly damaged by the fire. The recorder was sent to the AAIB's base to get the data from it. The rest of the helicopter's wreckage was also moved there for examination.
Investigators found that it was very difficult for anyone to escape or help those trapped after the crash.
On 7 November, a safety group called EASA asked for all AgustaWestland AW169 and AW189 helicopters to be checked. This was a safety step. Later, on 14 November, the AAIB said that the helicopter lost control because of a problem with the tail rotor. They were still working to find out exactly why this happened.
On 6 December 2018, the AAIB shared more details. They found that a part called the tail rotor actuator control shaft had disconnected. This part helps the pilot control the helicopter's turning. They also found that a special nut that should have stayed still had spun around. This caused it to break off. The investigation is still ongoing to fully understand all the reasons.
Responses to the Crash
The morning after the crash, fans started placing flowers and football shirts outside the stadium. Shirts and scarves from other teams, like West Ham United, were also seen. Leicester City opened a book where people could write messages of sympathy. Many buildings, including Wembley Stadium, were lit up in blue to honor the victims.
The Leicester City Foxes Foundation Charity was renamed The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation. This was done to remember the club's owner.
On 10 November, thousands of Leicester City fans took part in a special memorial walk. They walked before a home game against Burnley to remember the crash victims.
Leicester City also created a memorial garden at the crash site.
Football Community Reactions
Several football matches were postponed out of respect for the victims. This included games for Leicester City's women's team and youth teams. Another club owned by Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Oud-Heverlee Leuven in Belgium, also had a match postponed.
At other Premier League football games that Sunday, players wore black armbands. This was to remember both the crash victims and for Remembrance Day.
See also
In Spanish: Accidente de helicóptero de Leicester de 2018 para niños
