King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

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King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#1 Post by Cacophonix » Sat Oct 27, 2018 8:39 pm

A helicopter owned by Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha has burst into flames after it crashed outside the King Power stadium this evening.

Fans and players were shell-shocked and some broke down in tears as flames were visible from the stadium concourse.

It is unclear how many people were on board the aircraft at the time of the crash.

Eyewitness said that the helicopter took off as normal from the centre circle and was hovering over the south east corner of the ground before spluttering and spiralling to ground, near Filbert Way and bursting into flames.

Mr Srivaddhanaprabha's helicopter and his entourage leaving the King Power by helicopter has become a familar sight as he frequently takes off from the centre circle of Leicester's ground.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha is believed to be the only family member who attended the 1-1 draw on Saturday night.

Tim Acott, Leicester season ticket holder of 40 years, said: 'It just came out of the stadium already spinning then down to the ground.

'Just in a spiral. It hit the ground with a big bang then burst into flames. It's over on the other side of the car park, I don't think there were people there. I'm shaking like anything.'

The area around the ground has been closed off, while the stadium has been evacuated. West Ham's team bus had already left, though some Leicester players were still inside the stadium.
King Power helicopter crash.jpg
King Power helicopter crash.jpg (25.27 KiB) Viewed 1644 times
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/l ... spartanntp


Some witnesses are reporting that the tail rotor wasn't revolving when the aircraft crashed but this may be total speculation at this time.

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#2 Post by Cacophonix » Sat Oct 27, 2018 8:49 pm

Here is the modus operandi from an earlier match.



Looks like the aircraft may be AgustaWestland AW109 G-LCFC or G-VSKP which is an Agusta Westland AW169



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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#3 Post by Cacophonix » Sat Oct 27, 2018 9:21 pm

Looks like it may have been G-VSKP.

Flight history....JPG
Flight history....JPG (17.86 KiB) Viewed 1619 times
One hopes that the pilot and any passengers escaped unscathed from what was clearly a serious accident and subsequent fire.

Earlier flight profile today....JPG
Earlier flight profile today....JPG (69 KiB) Viewed 1615 times
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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#4 Post by CharlieOneSix » Sat Oct 27, 2018 9:30 pm

From what I understand, the 109 was replaced by the AW169 a while ago. I would be surprised if anyone survived that inferno and there must be a risk of 3rd parties being involved as the accident happened in the staff car park. Awful.
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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#5 Post by Cacophonix » Sat Oct 27, 2018 9:51 pm

It certainly doesn't look good at all. Here's the aircraft taking off tonight moments before the accident.



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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#6 Post by FD2 » Sun Oct 28, 2018 4:08 am

Very sad - possibly a tail rotor problem from eye witness reports, but we'll find out in due course from the AAIB. Probably two pilots.

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#7 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Oct 28, 2018 6:18 am

BBC South East correspondent Jonathan Head is unofficially saying this on Twitter...
A source close to the family of King Power and Leicester City owner Vichai Srivaddanhaprabha has confirmed that he was on board the helicopter which crashed outside the King Power stadium.
If, as seems to be the norm for operation of this type, there were two pilots to be on board the aircraft then it appears that at least 3 people might might have been on board when this one crashed.

One still hopes that a miracle might have occurred but images of the intensity of the blaze doing the rounds on the internet give little cause for hope.

Quite awful as C16 said earlier.

Still no official news at this stage many hours after the accident.

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#8 Post by Undried Plum » Sun Oct 28, 2018 8:44 am

That particular aircraft, in that particular stadium, features very conspicuously in the AW 169 brochure.
Image

If it transpires that the accident resulted from a gearbox or other transmission failure, methinks they might want to change the brochure.

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#9 Post by G-CPTN » Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:39 am

Crash safety in Formula One is now light years away from how it was in the 1950s.
Whilst it doesn't seem possible to prevent crashes, the integrity of the fuel storage usually remains intact.
Could this not be applied to helicopters?

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#10 Post by Boac » Sun Oct 28, 2018 10:53 am

I cannot envisage any crash protection system that will stop a fire if you hurl a metal box full of fuel into a car park full of cars full of fuel and the turbine running!

Sadly, the best protection is not to get into the damn thing.

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#11 Post by Undried Plum » Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:19 am

Here's what they say about the fuel tanks:
Fuel is contained within two crashworthy tanks located behind the cabin with frangible self-sealing couplings to prevent ruptures and leakage.

Hard to see how they can make fuel fireproof though!

Shell did develop an anti-misting agent and arranged a full scale crash test with a 707. It went horribly wrong and the fire was just as bad as it would have been with bog standard Jet-A.

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#12 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:20 am

The Leicester City owner, his daughter, the two pilots and one other person (possibly the co-pilot's girlfriend) were killed in the accident it has been officially confirmed.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/artic ... adium.html

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#13 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:50 am

Let's be honest about this, it all comes down to money in the end. It would be possible to develop fuel cells that are of the calibre and as safe as the enormously resilient, and hugely expensive, self-sealing types that are found in Formula One cars today but the cost of certification and retrofitting the same to so many existing aircraft would be exorbitant as this excellent article demonstrates...
Fiery Helicopter Crashes Persist With Industry Slow to Upgrade Fuel Tanks

Safer fuel-tank technology has been available for decades, but isn’t used on some popular models

After a rash of helicopter accidents several years ago ending in fatal fires, industry executives and regulators reached a high-profile compromise: Businesses could avoid rules mandating safety upgrades and retrofits but would be expected to make the changes on their own.

“You got our attention and we’re going to participate,” said Matthew Zuccaro, president of Helicopter Association International, the leading trade association, at the time.

But three years later, critics and even some industry leaders say some helicopter companies haven’t followed through to quickly and voluntarily install more durable, less fire-prone fuel tanks on an array of civilian helicopters. These vehicles are used for everything from sightseeing flights to utility repairs to emergency medical transportation.

Over roughly the past two decades, according to accident investigators and industry critics, there have been more than 170 fiery helicopter crashes in the U.S. alone, at least 80 avoidable fatalities and ballooning legal liabilities for both manufacturers and operators.

As retrofit efforts lag—only 20% of some widely used Airbus SE commercial models are fixed nationwide, for example—lawmakers, plaintiffs’ attorneys, other industry critics and members of a Federal Aviation Administration-created advisory committee are stepping up calls for strict federal mandates.

Attorney Gary Robb, who has represented scores of fire victims or their families over the years, says the FAA has encouraged a “regulatory loophole without any safety justification.”
In a June interview, acting FAA administrator Daniel Elwell said the agency is methodically “examining everything” surrounding the issue, but hasn’t decided whether mandates are necessary.

In a statement last month, an agency spokesman called the topic “a high priority for the FAA,” adding that officials are assessing the advisory group’s existing and anticipated recommendations for safety enhancements.

“The industry continues to make voluntary strides,” according to the statement, which pointed to crash-resistant systems available from seven different manufacturers. In March, the advisory panel told the FAA it would cost the industry roughly $184 million over 10 years to build and then operate all those choppers with fully compliant fuel systems.

Reducing such threats “may be hard and businesses will have to figure out how to make it work,” according to Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a Colorado Democrat who has been a prominent voice demanding change. “But it’s the right thing to do.”

Sometimes, a spectacular crash changes everything. That is what happened when five British tourists, including two newlyweds, died of burns and other injuries after a Papillon Airways sightseeing helicopter crashed and erupted in flames near a landing zone at the western part of the Grand Canyon in February.

In under three weeks, the operator announced plans to retrofit its entire air-tour fleet with crash-resistant fuel tanks. A company spokeswoman declined to comment.

Under voluntary efforts, the industry promised to make safety upgrades and retrofits intended to prevent fuel tanks from rupturing and killing pilots and passengers in otherwise survivable crashes. Industry leaders pledged to aggressively switch to more crash-resistant fuel systems on their own—either on assembly lines or by relying on retrofits—featuring stronger tanks, fuel lines and valves better able withstand impact. Mr. Zuccaro of the industry association called the change then “a major cultural shift.”

The basic technology dates back to the Vietnam War, and is standard on military choppers world-wide. If installed after aircraft are delivered, costs for some of the fixes run between $75,000 and $110,000 per helicopter. The price tag during initial assembly is a fraction of that amount.

Federal rules continue to permit production of various models, designed before the mid-1990s, lacking the most effective fuel-system upgrades.

The contrast between safety protections on new models—including totally automated recovery systems to help disoriented or confused pilots—and decades-old fire problems stemming from older designs, was highlighted last month at the Farnborough International Air Show. Mitch Snyder, president and chief executive of Textron Inc.’s Bell helicopter unit, practically invited the FAA to mandate tougher requirements.

Emphasizing that Bell embraced crash-resistant fuel systems on the production line ahead of FAA moves in the 1990s, Mr. Snyder told reporters “in some cases, safety costs more” and “it needs all of us to perform.” Bell would like chopper operators to upgrade tanks “in every single aircraft we have ever produced,” he said, adding “I do believe that regulation plays a role.”
On Tuesday, a Bell spokeswoman said she didn’t know what portion of the company’s fleet has been retrofitted.

Critics fault some manufacturers for moving too slowly to secure necessary federal certification for retrofit kits they could offer customers. Further delaying fixes, certain operators have balked at spending the money, adding the extra weight or taking aircraft out of service to do the work.

The U.S. helicopter unit of Airbus, for example, estimates that only about one of every five of a popular, single-engine line it sells is retrofitted with sturdier fuel tanks. The company didn’t have kits for any of those models available until early this year, but Airbus officials say they are now offering them at manufacturer’s cost through the end of 2018. A spokesman said the company anticipates demand for retrofits “equaling about another 20% of the fleet.”

The delays partly stem from the fact that there are so many different types of choppers requiring individual U.S. and European approvals for retrofit parts, plus “there’s a real fear” about unintended consequences affecting other onboard systems, according to Jeffrey Trang, the unit’s vice president for technology and flight operations.

Despite a drumbeat of deadly crashes and hefty damage awards, some industry spokesmen appear sanguine about progress. “Everybody would like to have it happen quickly,” the industry’s Mr. Zuccaro said in an interview earlier this year. “We’re trying to do it in a timely, logical and efficient manner,” he said, adding: “this is not something that you can snap your fingers, and in a day you have it.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/older-heli ... 1533643205

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#14 Post by Undried Plum » Sun Oct 28, 2018 12:20 pm

The military version of the AW 169 has self-sealing fuel tanks, but I suspect that it's a precaution against bullet holes rather than a complete rupture in a crash.

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#15 Post by Cacophonix » Sun Oct 28, 2018 12:38 pm

At the risk of spooking myself, the little Robinson R44 Raven II I am learning to fly notes that it has crash resistant tanks with bladders now (upgraded from the Raven I) but when you look inside at the fuel drains you see this Heath Robinson (no relative) arrangement and you realise you are still in world of potential pain here.

https://robinsonheli.com/wp-content/upl ... _mm_12.pdf
Fuel tank drain - Note the plastic clip pinching the end of the tube.JPG
Fuel tank drain - Note the plastic clip pinching the end of the tube.JPG (52.02 KiB) Viewed 1500 times
robinson-helicopter-private-lesson-1-25-1024.jpg
robinson-helicopter-private-lesson-1-25-1024.jpg (49.02 KiB) Viewed 1500 times
Still the fuel system is far safer than the PA28 spam can that I fly that carries a veritable semi-swimming pool of fuel in tanks without bladders in the wings within one skin puncture, without a crush space, in the event of a forced landing.


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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#16 Post by CharlieOneSix » Sun Oct 28, 2018 12:54 pm

From what I can make out from photos and video the helicopter ended up on its side. Pure supposition on my part but the main rotors hitting the ground could possibly have wrenched out the main gearbox and a secondary effect of that could have severed fuel lines leading to one or both engines. Presuming that electrical power was still available to the fuel/booster pumps in the short term that could have fed fuel to the exhaust area leading to the conflagration. If that scenario is correct then the crashworthy tanks fitted would have made little or no difference. I stress that is supposition - I have no technical knowledge of the AW169.
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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#17 Post by ian16th » Sun Oct 28, 2018 2:15 pm

There is a report of a policeman attempting to open/smash in a window, then being driven back by a veritable 'explosion'.
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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#18 Post by Undried Plum » Sun Oct 28, 2018 2:19 pm

I remember when a Beacopters 61 did a gear-up landing in the Piper field, the first thing the Captain did, rotors running because it was too windy to shut down, was check for fuel leaks.

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#19 Post by Slasher » Sun Oct 28, 2018 2:26 pm

From what I saw on the telly that was a bloody nasty accident. I do hope their end was quick and painless. 😔

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Re: King Power Stadium Helicopter Crash

#20 Post by CharlieOneSix » Sun Oct 28, 2018 11:21 pm

All on the helicopter are confirmed dead and their names released by the Police. The pilot was Eric Swaffer who in his early career more than 20 years ago flew for Bristow on the North Sea, having been through the then cadet sponsorship with them. He was the only pilot on board.

The relatively nearby East Midlands EGNX metar at 1920Z, roughly the accident time, was giving a W/V of 340/11 and this remained the same all evening. What I don’t understand is that the helicopter took off into wind, did a spot turn to face downwind and then did a helipad take off profile going up and backwards into wind until decision point and he then transitted downwind and crashed on the south easterly edge of the site. Videos are available which show the departure.

I don’t understand that choice of departure track unless he was operationally restricted from departing to the north by either the CAA or his Ops Manual. To the northwest of the football ground is the River Soar which I would have thought would have allowed a safe departure route in that direction - safe barring any mechanical malfunction.
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