The inquest into the tragic 2018 Leicester City helicopter crash heard on Monday how police officers desperately tried to smash the windscreen of the vehicle after it fell.
Five people, including club president Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, 60, died in the accident in which the helicopter was engulfed in flames after crashing.
The plane had gone out of control just seconds after taking off from Leicester's King Power stadium, plummeting violently towards a vacant lot near the ground before being engulfed in flames.
Last week, the club's billionaire Thai owners launched a legal battle with the helicopter's manufacturer, an Italian company called Leonardo SpA, demanding £2.15bn in compensation. It is the largest claim for compensation for a fatal accident in English legal history.
A September 2023 report found that there were safety concerns regarding the aircraft, that Leonardo could have made significant modifications to avoid the crash, and that the pilot was unable to avoid the crash following a tail rotor failure. He called the accident “unpredictable” and said the pilot could have done “very little” to stop it.
At Monday's inquest, jurors were shown footage of two police officers, who were driving nearby, arriving at the scene a minute after the crash.
An investigation into the helicopter crash that killed Leicester chairman Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four others in 2018 has begun.
The inquest heard how police officers attempted to break the windshield of the plane after it fell (pictured: pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Roza Lechowicz).
The helicopter had stopped on its left side and none of the doors were accessible.
So, one of the officers used a baton to try to break the windshield to see if they could help.
However, the coroner was told Catherine Mason that the windscreen was a “very strong structure” designed to withstand hitting a bird at 180mph.
In a statement released ahead of the investigations, Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, son of Khun Vichai, who succeeded his father as Leicester City chairman, said: “My family accepts the investigation process and looks forward to the explanation of how and why my father lost his life and what has been done to ensure that other families do not suffer the same terrible pain of loss that has been inflicted on us.'
Kate Lechowicz, sister of Izabela Lechowicz, added on behalf of the Lechowicz and Swaffer families: “The wait for the investigation has been tormenting, leaving many unanswered questions and lingering frustrations for over 6 years since the tragic loss of Eric and Izabela.
'Aviation safety was very close to their hearts, they will be watching this avidly from afar, eager to see changes that will prevent such disasters in the future. Our children will never know their uncles, the adventures they lived, except through the photographs we have in our house and the stories we tell from our memories. “We still miss them terribly.”
Mr Srivaddhanaprabha's pencil portrait continues: 'His positive energy was contagious and he maintained it through hard work and discipline. He was always two steps away from everyone else.
'Khun Vichai was a man of honor. Those who worked with him and signed a contract with him received his word… He made sure to sign all of his staff's birthday cards.
'He always mentioned to us the importance of his staff. He showed no signs of slowing down.
Fellow passengers Nusara Suknamai (right) and Kaveporn Punpare (left) died in the accident.
The helicopter, which was deemed to have safety issues in 2013, caught fire after falling
A 2023 report deemed the accident to have been “inevitable” due to safety lapses.
Extensive tributes were held outside the King Power stadium following the tragedy.
'In 2004 he created the King Power Foundation, which supports adults with mental health problems and disadvantaged children.
'He also established the Leicester City Foxes Foundation, which aims to support local and national causes. Since its formation in 2011-12, the foundation has raised almost £2 million for local charities.
In the 2023 report, a disturbing scream from the pilot, Eric Swaffer, 53, was revealed as the helicopter spun out of control.
“I have no idea what's going on,” he had shouted.
Under Srivaddhanaprabha's ownership after he bought them in 2010, Leicester City were promoted to the Premier League in 2014, retained in 2015 and won the title at odds of 5,000 to 1 in 2016.
He, pilot Swaffer, his employees Nusara Suknamai, 32, and Kaveporn Punpare, 33, and Swaffer's partner and professional pilot, Izabela Roza Lechowicz, 46, were killed.
The investigation, which is expected to last three weeks, will examine the mechanical cause of the accident.