Leicester City owner among five dead in helicopter crash

The owner of Leicester City FC died when his helicopter crashed
outside the stadium, the club has confirmed.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, two members of his staff, the pilot
and a passenger were killed when the aircraft crashed at about
20:30 BST on Saturday.

Witnesses said the helicopter just cleared the King Power
Stadium before it spiralled out of control and crashed in a
fireball.

Thousands of bouquets and scarves have already been left outside
the ground.

Leicestershire Police said it believed the dead to be:

Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha
Two members of his staff, Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare
Pilot Eric Swaffer and his partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz

Mr Swaffer had over 20 years’ flying experience as a private jet
and helicopter pilot.

His career included flying helicopters for live media
broadcasting including Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast and the Virgin
Radio traffic helicopter.

Mr Swaffer’s friend Lucie Morris-Marr said he was a “veteran in
the field” and would have done all he could to prevent lives being
lost in the crash.

She added that he was a “funny and vivacious” man who was in an
“aviation love story” with Ms Lechowicz.

“Not many people get to work and travel with their soulmate,
travelling the world going to glamorous places,” she said.

The couple were professional pilots who lived together in
Camberley, Surrey. Ms Lechowicz moved to the UK from Poland in
1997.

In a statement, the Polish embassy said: “With great sadness, we
received the news about the death of Izabela Lechowicz in the
Leicester catastrophe.

“She was a great pilot, winner of the #Polka100 contest. It
contributed to the creation of a positive image of Poland in the
UK.”

Thai billionaire Mr Srivaddhanaprabha, 60, who was married and
had four children, bought Leicester City for £39m in 2010.

Under his ownership the club won the Premier League in 2016,
having started the season as 5,000/1 outsiders.

In a statement, Leicester City said the club’s thoughts were
with “the Srivaddhanaprabha family and the families of all those
on-board at this time of unspeakable loss”.

Leicester players pay tribute to owner
Leicester helicopter crash: What we know
The club described Mr Srivaddhanaprabha as “a man of kindness, of
generosity and a man whose life was defined by the love he devoted
to his family and those he so successfully led”.

“Leicester City was a family under his leadership. It is as a
family that we will grieve his passing and maintain the pursuit of
a vision for the club that is now his legacy,” it added.

A book of condolence will be opened at King Power Stadium from
Tuesday morning. The team’s next fixture against Southampton in the
EFL Cup, scheduled for Tuesday evening, has been postponed.

Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who witnesses said ran
out of the stadium towards the crash scene, said Mr
Srivaddhanaprabha had “changed football forever”.

“I cannot believe this is happening. I am so totally devastated
and heartbroken,” he added.

Club captain Wes Morgan tweeted: “Absolutely heartbroken and
devastated regarding the news of our chairman. A man that was loved
and adored by everyone here at lcfc.”

Struggling to find the right words….but to
me you are legend, an incredible man who had the biggest heart, the
soul of Leicester City Football Club. Thank you for everything you
did for… https://t.co/FzTaXVejUg^[1]

— Jamie Vardy (@vardy7) October
28, 2018^[2]

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: “Vichai
was a gentleman who graced the game with his civility and charm and
we will miss him enormously.

“His impact on Leicester – the football club and the city – will
be remembered forever.”

Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, West Ham United, Tottenham
Hotspur, Nottingham Forest and Swansea City were among the football
clubs that passed on condolences to Leicester.

Leicestershire Police confirmed no-one else had been injured and
said the Air Accidents Investigation Branch had launched an
investigation.

The helicopter came down in a car park near the stadium just
over an hour after Leicester had drawn 1-1 against West Ham United
in the Premier League.

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Supt Steve Potter said: “Emergency services were immediately on
scene when the crash happened, working to put out the fire and gain
access to the helicopter in attempts to reach those inside.

“Despite those efforts, there were no survivors.”

Supt Potter said it was likely to take several days to complete
the investigation at the crash site.

Freelance photographer Ryan Brown, who was covering the game,
saw the helicopter clear the King Power Stadium before it
crashed.

He told BBC Radio Leicester: “The engine stopped and I turned
round and it made a bit of a whirring noise, like a grinding
noise.

“The helicopter just went silent, I turned round and it was just
spinning, out of control. And then there was a big bang and then
[a] big fireball.”

Culled BBC