By Sam Tobin
LONDON, Dec 16 (Reuters) – 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 pounds ($2.89 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 outside Leicester City’s stadium, before bursting into flames.
An inquest jury concluded in January that the deaths of Srivaddhanaprabha, two members of his staff, pilot Eric Swaffer and Swaffer’s partner Izabela Roza Lechowicz were accidental.
Srivaddhanaprabha’s widow and four children filed their case in January, claiming loss of earnings and other damages. 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.
LEONARDO EXPRESSES SYMPATHY, DENIES LIABILITY
“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 December 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.
($1 = 0.7452 pounds)
(Reporting by Sam Tobin in London; additional reporting by Giulia Segreti in Rome; Editing by Alexander Smith)
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