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Leonardo is being sued in London for £2.15bn by the family of the late Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who claim the Italian aerospace company is liable for his death in a 2018 helicopter crash.
Relatives of the former owner of Leicester City Football Club said on Friday they had brought a claim in the High Court in London in what they described as the largest fatal accident lawsuit in English legal history.
Vichai was one of five people on board the Leonardo AW169 helicopter when it crashed shortly after take-off outside the Premier League club’s home ground.
The aircraft was engulfed in flames after it crashed on a concrete surface and the pilot and all four passengers were killed.
Vichai’s relatives are demanding compensation for loss of earnings and other damages, valued at £2.15bn, which they claim to have resulted from the businessman’s premature death.
Lawyers acting for his family argue the helicopter had defects that caused the accident, citing a report by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) that was published in 2023.
The AAIB report identified “causal factors” for the accident including a “seizure of the tail rotor duplex bearing” that culminated in an “unrecoverable loss of control”.
Leonardo said on Friday that it was aware of the claim, which it intended to defend. It said in a statement: “Leonardo has the deepest sympathy for those who lost their lives in the accident, all of them clearly loved by their families, friends and communities. Their deaths were an unquestionable tragedy.”
It added: “The AAIB Final Report, released in September 2023, has not directed any Recommended Actions to Leonardo. The AAIB report concluded that Leonardo complied with all regulatory requirements in both the design and manufacture of the AW169. Leonardo meets the most modern and stringent certification and safety standards in the sector.”
Vichai became one of Thailand’s most prominent businessmen as owner and chair of duty-free store chain King Power. He acquired Leicester City in 2010 and was a popular figure among fans, particularly after the club won the Premiership in 2016.
Vichai’s son Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who succeeded his father as chair of Leicester said in a statement: “My father trusted Leonardo when he bought that helicopter but the conclusions of the report into his death show that his trust was fatally misplaced.
“I hold them wholly responsible for his death.”
Peter Neenan, a partner at Stewarts, who is representing the family, said in a statement: “Considering the purview of the AAIB’s mission is to report on safety and not to blame, the report was as damning a report as I have ever read.”
An inquest into the deaths of those onboard is due to start on Monday.
Additional reporting by Sylvia Pfeifer in London
