Helicopter firm launches bid to for fatal Leicester crash cockpit recordings

A High Court hearing in London heard that cockpit recordings from the 2018 fatal Leicester City helicopter crash should not be disclosed to the aircraft maker. Leonardo S.p.A. applied to obtain flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder material held by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) for use in defending itself against claims brought by the victims’ families. The crash killed five people, including former Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, his widow Aimon and their four children; pilot Eric Swaffer; and co-pilot Izabela Lechowicz, along with passengers Nusara Suknami and Kaveporn Punpare. The jury inquest last year ruled the deaths were accidental. Lawyers for Leonardo argued disclosure is needed to contest AAIB findings, while the family said the data has already been available during the five-year investigation.