Police heard the pilot screaming for help at the crash site

Two police officers who were the first to arrive at the scene of the Leicester City helicopter crash told an inquest that they had heard the pilot screaming for help.

Sergeant Michael Hooper and PC Stephen Quartermain, recently relieved from duty, were driving nearby, and were the first emergency services personnel on the scene of the crash at the club’s King Power Stadium in 2018, where five people died.

Fox Chairman Vichai Sriwardhanaprabha died in the crash, along with fellow passengers Keweporn Punapare, Nusara Suknamai, pilot Eric Swaffer and his partner Isabella Rosa Lechowicz.

on monday Inquiry started In front of a jury, which will determine who the deceased were – and when, where and how they died.

Warning: This story contains details that may disturb readers

Sergeant Hooper said he heard the pilot, Mr. Swaffer, yelling “Get me out of here, help me” from inside the plane after the plane crashed.

He told the coroner that he used his baton to try to break the helicopter’s windscreen but to no avail.

Sergeant Hooper said he ran to get a fire extinguisher from his police vehicle in an attempt to “give (Mr. Swaffer) some time”.

He added, “It was incredibly hot at that time. The heat was pretty much unbearable.”

PC Quartermain became emotional as he recalled the moment he saw “the flames start moving towards the rear of the plane” and he realized “people were going to die”.

He said Mr Swaffer “began to come to” after initially appearing “unconscious”.

He told the inquest that the pilot “saw Mike and me and started yelling ‘Help, get me out’.”

Addressing officers, Philip Shepherd Casey, representing Mr Wichai’s relatives, said: “On behalf of Khun Wichai’s family, can I congratulate you on the heroic efforts you made that night, which tragically took the lives of Were trying to save his life.” dead.”

As the investigation began the jury was shown body worn footage of both police officers.

The inquiry revealed that the officers were driving nearby, had recently been relieved from duty, and were on the scene within a minute of the accident.

Because the helicopter had come to rest on its left side after the crash, the jury was told that neither side door could be accessed, with one set about 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) above the ground and the other against the floor.

It was explained to the jury that specialist equipment would be required to break the helicopter’s windscreen, which is designed to withstand the impact of a 1 kilogram bird traveling at 180 mph (289 km/h). .

The accident occurred shortly after Leicester City’s 1–1 home draw with West Ham United.

The inquiry also heard from eyewitnesses, including former ground manager John Ledwidge, who said the helicopter flight that evening was “very routine and normal”.

As someone who was training as a private fixed-wing pilot at the time, he said: “I always looked at it (flying) because of aviation interest.”

Mr Ledwidge said the helicopter descended very rapidly and he saw it “spinning quite aggressively”.

He said he immediately shouted to his ground staff, who were still around the edges of the pitch, to take cover, as he did not know where the helicopter would land.

Mr Ledwidge told the jury that he proceeded to run to where he thought the helicopter would touch down, “to see if I could do something to help”, and got to within an estimated 15 meters of the crash site. .

“I could see smoke coming from the rear engine,” he said.

“Within 10 to 15 seconds, I saw flames start towards the back.

“It was quite an orange glow.”

When asked if he heard any noises from inside the helicopter, Mr Ledwidge said: “I live with the guilt of not doing more.

“The moment the fire started, I put the onus of saving my life on my team and the people trying to help.”

Mr Ledwidge paid tribute to the late Mr Vichai, describing him as “a great man”.

He said, “I felt part of a family. That’s probably the best way I can describe it.”

“I’ve never worked at a club like Leicester City. It comes from them.”

BT Sport sound engineer Darren Pyke, who worked on the broadcast of the match, told the jury that he was in his car outside the stadium as the helicopter took off and saw the moment it crashed.

He recalled that one of the police officers who arrived at the scene said that it looked like someone was alive inside.

Mr Pyke said he could not see, adding, “I never saw any signs of life.”

Another witness, Martin Wicks, was part of the maintenance team at Leicester City at the time and was also in the car park when the helicopter came down.

He said it was “making unusual noises” but that it came down “in a fairly controlled manner”.

“It seemed like it was all happening in slow motion,” he said.

“It was really a whirlwind of consciousness.”

Chris Parsons, station manager of Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, was part of the multi-agency response to the accident.

He told the jury about the standard protocol for deploying fire engines at the time of a crash and how the foam was deployed by officials to create a blanket over spilled aviation fuel to prevent fire.

Mr Parsons said a protective screen was put up by fire service personnel to protect the dignity of the dead as bodies were recovered from the scene the day after the accident.

A November 2018 statement from Dr Matthew Woods, a consultant to the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, was read out by Jonathan Hough Casey, the lead counsel to the inquiry.

It told the jury how Dr Woods, who works on a charitable basis as a pre-hospital doctor for the East Midlands Ambulance Service, received a message saying a helicopter had crashed at the stadium and he had to be evacuated. Realized he would be on the scene before anyone else. resources.

Dr. Woods’ statement said that when he arrived at the scene, he found that the people in the helicopter were “obviously dead.”

It added: “The injuries sustained were clearly incompatible with life, with evidence of being incinerated.”

Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report, Published in September 2023found that the crash was “inevitable” after a series of mechanical failures, and said there was “little” the pilot could have done to save everyone on the plane.

The inquest – which is expected to last between two to three weeks – continues.