Investigation Reveals Damaged Rotor as Cause of Deadly Leicester Helicopter Crash

An accident inquiry has revealed that a damaged tail rotor was responsible for the deadly helicopter crash in 2018 that killed the owner of Leicester City soccer club, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, and four others. The inquiry found that a bearing in the tail rotor failed, causing the helicopter's control system to malfunction. The pilot's pedals became disconnected, resulting in an uncontrollable sharp right turn and the helicopter spinning out of control. The report ruled out drone involvement and pilot error. The crash led to eight safety recommendations to address weaknesses in helicopter certification regulations.