The family of the former Leicester City boss who died in a helicopter crash has launched a £2.15bn legal claim, legal representatives have said.

In October 2018, Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s private plane crashed shortly after taking off from the club’s King Power Stadium, killing four other people.

Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s family claimed Leonardo SpA, which built the helicopter, was responsible for his death.

Law firm Stultz said it was seeking 2.15 billion pounds in damages to cover lost income, pain and suffering and funeral costs caused by the death of the Thai billionaire.

Stultz said a 209-page Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report raised “serious concerns” about the safety of the aircraft.

The family filed the case in the High Court on Friday, the report said, adding: “The report found that the crash was caused by a key component in the tail rotor being seized, which Leonardo believed to be during the design stage. The component was critical, and its failure resulted in the accident “catastrophically.”

“This failure triggered a series of further failures that caused the helicopter to accelerate and spin uncontrollably until it crashed and burst into flames.”

Stultz said multiple failures during Leonardo’s design process caused the component to become stuck.

It added that “critical design changes” were made to mitigate risks in other helicopter models, but no such changes were made to the aircraft on which Srivaddhanaprabha was traveling.

“Design changes alone may have prevented a complete loss of control of the helicopter and the death of everyone on board,” the company claimed, adding that Leonardo failed to warn customers or regulators of the risk.

“The AAIB report concluded that there was nothing the pilot could have done to prevent the crash,” Stultz said.

Mr. Srivaddhanaprabha’s Leonardo AW169 aircraft took off from the center of the stadium just after 7:30 pm on October 27.

The AAIB report found that the helicopter turned right briefly and then “yaw rapidly increased to the right despite the pilot’s immediate corrective control inputs.”

The aircraft flew at an altitude of approximately 430 feet before descending “at a high rotational speed.”

It hit a concrete surface and landed on its left side, the impact damaging the lower fuselage and fuel tanks.

This resulted in a “significant fuel leak” and a subsequent fire that “quickly engulfed the fuselage,” the report said.

Citing autopsy reports, Stultz said four people inside the plane survived the initial impact but were burned alive inside.

At the time of the accident, Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s Thai travel retail group King Power had annual revenues of more than £2.5 billion, the company said.

It added that in the year before his death, its net profits reached £237m.

The losses claimed by the family include personal injuries suffered by Mr Srivaddhanaprabha, statutory bereavement damages, damage to or loss of personal belongings, and funeral, memorial service and probate costs.

They also include “the special loss of intangible benefits, love and affection that only a father and husband can provide,” as well as loss of past and future income or services.

Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who succeeded his father as Leicester City chairman, said: “The loss of my father is felt as deeply as ever by my family today.

“My own children and their cousins ​​will never know their grandfather, which adds to our pain.

“We have reflected on the conclusions of the AAIB report and carefully considered how we wish to proceed.

“My father trusted Leonardo when he purchased that helicopter, but the conclusion of the report into his death shows that his trust was fatally mistaken.

“I hold them fully responsible for his death.”

Peter Neenan, a partner at Stewart LLP, which represents the family, said: “The basis for the claim against Leonardo is an independent AAIB report published in September 2023.

“Given that the AAIB’s mission is to report on safety and not accuse, this report is the most damning I have ever read.

“The statement applies safety-driven analysis to the ultimate impact of allegations of defects and omissions throughout the design process.

“Leonardo’s customers include national militaries, air ambulances and other first responders around the world.

“It is vital that all operators of these helicopters have faith and confidence in these machines.”

Legal claims filed on eve of formal investigation

Sky Sports News senior reporter Rob Dorsett:

“For many Leicester City supporters, this will bring back unforgettable memories of the darkest day in the club’s history, just two years after lifting the Premier League trophy on the best day in the club’s history in 2016.

“The legal claim comes on the eve of a formal inquest into the deaths of the five people. The inquest is due to start in Leicester on Monday and will continue until the remainder of January.

“We have contacted Leonardo for comment but so far we have not received a response.”