Harrowing CCTV has captured the moment Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s helicopter crashed seconds after take-off before crashing and killing all five passengers.
Footage shows the billionaire’s helicopter taking off from the King Power Stadium in a seemingly routine manner before it appears to malfunction above a line of trees.
It then spins out of control mid-air before hurtling towards the ground and bursting into flames.
The billionaire perished with his assistant Kaveporn Punpare and Nursara Suknamai, a Thai beauty queen turned PA, when the aircraft spiralled into a ‘dead man’s curve’ when its tail rotor apparently failed.
The helicopter’s hero pilot Eric Swaffer and his girlfriend co-pilot Izabela Lechowicz also died – but potentially saved hundreds of lives by crashing away from the crowds of fans who saw Leicester play West Ham.
The chilling footage shows it spinning out of control just seconds later before plummeting towards the ground
Today the Air Accident Investigation Branch [AAIB] confirmed they have found the aircraft’s black box recorder and will be forensically examining the wreckage and crash site before moving it to Farnborough, Hampshire, by Friday.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is carrying out an investigation into what caused the Agusta Westland AW169 helicopter to crash a few hours after the Foxes’ 1-1 result against West Ham.
It is believed to be the first accident involving an AW169 aircraft.
In a statement the AAIB said: ‘We recovered the digital flight data recorder on Sunday afternoon and one of our inspectors travelled back to Farnborough with the recorder the same evening.
‘Today, our inspectors in Farnborough will start working on the recorder, which was subject to intense heat as a result of the post-accident fire.
‘Our inspectors are continuing to work with the police on site. We expect to be here until the end of the week.’
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