Tributes pour in as 2018 Leicester City helicopter crash inquest begins

Tributes are being paid to five people who died in a helicopter crash outside Leicester City’s King Power Stadium, as an inquest into their deaths gets under way more than six years later.

Foxes chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha was killed alongside fellow passengers Kaveporn Punpare, Nusara Suknamai, pilot Eric Swaffer and his partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz on 27 October 2018.

An inquest at Leicester City Hall, expected to last for between two and three weeks, has begun, with a jury to determine who the deceased were – and when, where and how they died.

In a pen portrait tribute to Mr Vichai, his family described him as someone with boundless energy who was an instinctive entrepreneur.

In the tribute, read to the court by family barrister Philip Shepherd KC, the relatives said: “Khun Vichai was the leader of our family, a caring and devoted husband, father, uncle and grandfather.

“We feel the loss of him as much today as we have ever done. He was a good man with a good heart. He was a great inspiration to us all, and we all loved him very much.

“It’s impossible to put Khun Vichai into words. He possessed all of the best qualities. He was adored by everyone for his kind spirit, generosity, charm, sense of humour and intellect.”

The pen portrait ended with a video presentation on a big screen in the court, paying tribute to his role in reviving Leicester City’s fortunes, including the club’s against-the-odds Premier League title win in 2016.

The second tribute described Mr Swaffer as someone who loved aviation and had a “wicked sense of humour”.

It was read to the jury by the sister of his partner, Ms Lechowicz, a fellow pilot who also died in the crash.

Of Mr Swaffer, Kate Lechowicz said: “He was great company. He had profound love for aviation, technology, travel, his motorbike and life in general. There was nothing he had not tried his hand at. He excelled at everything he did.”

Remembering her sibling, Ms Lechowicz said her “warm, caring, hardworking” sister was an “extraordinary individual”.

“She exuded a passion for life, but above all she was a dedicated pilot,” Ms Lechowicz added.

A report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), published in September 2023, found the crash was “inevitable” after a sequence of mechanical failures, and said the pilot could have done “very little” to save everyone on board.