Leicester helicopter flight data recorder found
Tributes are placed outside Leicester City Football Club, Leicester, England on Oct. 29, 2018, after a helicopter crashed in flames Saturday. AP
LEICESTER, England — Authorities say a digital flight data recorder has been recovered from the Leicester soccer team owner’s helicopter.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch says inspectors “will start working on the recorder, which was subject to intense heat as a result of the post-accident fire.”
In a statement, the AAIB says inspectors are expected to remain on the site at Leicester’s stadium until the end of the week when the wreckage is expected to be transported to specialist facilities for a detailed examination.
The AAIB has inspectors on site with specialism on engineering, operations, flight data and human factors.
Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and four other people died when the helicopter spiraled out of control as it left the King Power Stadium following a Premier League game on Saturday.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino sent his condolences to the friends and families of Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and the four other victims who perished in a helicopter crash.
In a Twitter post attributed to Infantino, FIFA says it “extends its deepest sympathies to their families & friends & to the many football fans for whom Vichai was an integral member of The Foxes family.”
Vichai, a Thai businessman, was killed in Saturday’s crash, which occurred near the soccer team’s stadium following a Premier League match. It had become a club tradition for the owner to leave after games in a helicopter taking off from the center circle.
FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura wrote on Twitter that “Vichai’s kindness, passion for football, Leicester & its people touched hearts of many.”
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said in a statement that “European football is deeply saddened to hear of the tragic deaths of the owner of Leicester City, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, and the other four people who lost their lives.” /ee
