Leonardo denies liability for 2018 helicopter crash that killed Leicester City owner
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A 2023 photo shows a banner inside Leicester City's stadium featuring late club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha to mark his birthday.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- The family of Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha are suing Leonardo for £2.15 billion over the 2018 helicopter crash that killed him and four others.
- Leonardo denies liability, stating the AW169 model is safe and the crash was the "first and only" of its kind and that a controlled landing could have saved Srivaddanaprabha.
- The AAIB report stated the pilot couldn't recover from a tail rotor failure, but Leonardo disputes this and notes that no safety recommendations were addressed to them.
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LONDON - Italy’s Leonardo has denied liability for the 2018 helicopter crash which killed Thai businessman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, saying in its defence to a lawsuit that its AW169 model is safe.
The family of Srivaddhanaprabha, who founded duty-free retailer King Power and owned English soccer club Leicester City, are suing Leonardo for up to £2.15 billion (S$3.7 billion) at London’s High Court over the crash.
Best known in Britain as owner of the club which defied odds of 5,000/1 to win the 2016 Premier League title, Srivaddhanaprabha’s helicopter crashed shortly after taking off
An inquest jury concluded in January
Srivaddhanaprabha’s widow and four children filed their case
The family’s lawyers declined to comment on Leonardo’s defence.
Leonardo said in its written defence, which was made public last week, that it bore no liability for the incident, which was “the first and only crash involving an AW169” and that no regulatory authority has deemed the model unsafe to fly.
It also said Srivaddhanaprabha would likely have survived if the pilot had conducted a controlled landing, which would have prevented the helicopter catching fire.
“While Leonardo has every sympathy for the Srivaddhanaprabha family, Leonardo does not consider that the claims that have been brought against it are made out as a matter of either fact or law,” the company said in its defence, dated Dec 1.
Britain’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said in a 2023 report that it had not been possible for the pilot to recover from a tail rotor failure.
Leonardo said it disputes the report, pointing out that no safety recommendations were addressed to the company. REUTERS
