LIFE SAVER
Hero Leicester pilot saved lives by steering helicopter away from crowds before crashing
THE hero Leicester pilot saved lives by steering the helicopter away from crowds before crashing.
Eric Swaffer died alongside Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, his co-pilot girlfriend and two others on Saturday night.
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Srivaddhanaprabha's eight-seat helicopter flew just 200m before nosediving to the ground in a car park behind the King Power Stadium.
Former Royal Navy commando Harry Benson, 58, believes Swaffer became stuck in a "dead man's curve", which almost always ends in a "catastrophic failure".
Sky Sports cameraman Dan Cox was horrified to see the helicopter "spinning out of control" moments after hearing the take-off.
Cox told : "I heard the helicopter coming out of the stadium, saw it as you do, they are amazing pieces of machinery and then I just carried on walking thinking next time I look up it is going to be overhead.
What we know so far:
- The helicopter came down in a car park behind the King Power Stadium following a Premier League game between Leicester and West Ham.
- Witnesses said the helicopter lost control within a few seconds and crashed into the club's staff car park.
- Leicester City owner Srivaddhanaprabha was confirmed to have died.
- Four other people were on board the helicopter, none of whom survived.
- Hero pilot Eric Swaffer died alongside his co-pilot girlfriend Izabela Roza Lechowicz.
- Beauty queen Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare also died.
- Leicester City described Mr Srivaddhanaprabha as "a great man".
- The Air Accident Investigation Branch is leading an investigation.
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WHAT IS A 'DEAD MAN'S CURVE'?
A 'dead man's curve' occurs when a helicopter's tail rotor stops working.
This makes the chopper almost uncontrollable as it starts to spin out of control.
If the pilot is flying too close to the ground or at a very slow speed, the pilot cannot perform an emergency procedure to stop any catastrophic incidents.
At a high altitude, a pilot is taught to turn the engine off, which will stop the helicopter from spinning.
It will be able to safely glide through the air with its primary rotor blades.
Former Royal Navy commando Harry Benson, 58, believes Swaffer became stuck in this 'terrifying' situation.
"The next thing I just looked up and it was just spinning, static just out of control, just a constant spinning, I have never seen anything like it."
He continued: "I don't know how the pilot did it but he seemed to manage to slow down the spinning rotation and it drifted off into the corner part of the car park."
As the cameraman began filming the aftermath of the crash a police officer was seen desperately trying to smash a glass window and free the victims.
Witnesses recall seeing the officer run straight towards the helicopter, leaving his colleague standing beside their police car.
Cox added: "To my mind the pilot was heroic and the two police offers in front of me, who also tried to help, they are heroes too."
"It could have been so much worse if the pilot hadn't done that."
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Mr Srivaddhanaprabha, who became chairman of the club in 2011, is known for arriving and leaving the stadium in his helicopter at home games.
The air accident watchdog has launched an investigation into why the aircraft fell to earth in a car park near the stadium a few hours after Leicester drew 1-1 with West Ham.
The tragedy is being described as the "darkest day" in the club's history, and mourners began laying wreaths near the stadium on Sunday morning.
Bouquets, flags and football shirts have been left outside the ground by members of the public on Sunday morning alongside a large image of the Hindu god Ganesh which was also propped up amidst the flowers.
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Smoke rises at Leicester City's King Power Stadium carpark where club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's helicopter crashed moments after taking off
The football club described the 60-year-old, who bought the club for £39 million in 2010 and led it to a first Premier League title in 2015-16 as a "great man".
The club added: "It is with the deepest regret and a collective broken heart that we confirm our chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those to have tragically lost their lives on Saturday evening when a helicopter carrying him and four other people crashed outside King Power Stadium. None of the five people on-board survived."
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Devastated Leicester City supporters lay flowers outside the King Power Stadium after horrific helicopter crash outside the ground
Joe Birch, 24, a big fan of the team said: “I saw it from the telly last night, it was terrible.
“I have a season ticket, I am a fan of the team. It was devastating, especially not knowing what has happened. The crash was really bad.
Images taken at the scene show the helicopter engulfed in flames as fans leaving the ground watched on in horror.
Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was seen in tears outside the stadium as fire crews doused the flames.
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The wife of England and Leicester City legend Peter Shilton was among the eye-witnesses who saw the horror unfold.
Stephanie Shilton, 50, said: "It happened straight in front of us as we were leaving the ground. It's horrendous."
Srivaddhanaprabha was well-known for leaving the stadium by his helicopter, which lands in the centre circle on the pitch, after every Leicester home game.
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BT Sport pundit Jake Humphrey pointed to the aircraft from the studio during a live broadcast at the stadium and said: “As you can see the owners are now heading off.”
A loud explosion could be heard on post-match analysis show Premier League tonight just moments later.
Leicester had just played West Ham in a 1-1 draw in the Premier League. The 5.30pm kick-off finished at around 7.30pm.
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A spokesman added: "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."
In a statement released in the early hours of Sunday, the police said: "The aircraft came down in a car park near the stadium shortly after 8.30pm yesterday evening with Leicestershire Police, East Midlands Ambulance Service and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service all responding to the incident.
"A cordon is currently in place at the scene to enable the AAIB to examine the area and complete their initial enquiries.
"Leicestershire Police will be supporting the AAIB in its investigation, liaising closely with Leicester City Football Club as enquiries continue."
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