The family of Thai billionaire Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, is suing helicopter manufacturer Leonardo for $2.6 billion. The family alleges “multiple failures in Leonardo’s design process” led to the October 2018 crash of an AW169 shortly after takeoff from the soccer stadium in Leicester, England. All on board, including Srivaddhanaprabha, who was the chairman of the Leicester City Football Club, died in the fiery crash. The lawsuit claims that the failure of a bearing in the tail rotor control system was to blame.
The five-year investigation of the accident by the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded that the duplex bearing of the tail rotor seized because it had been damaged by “rolling contact fatigue,” surface damage resulting from repeated contact between curved surfaces of the bearing such as the race and balls. But Leonardo argues that the AAIB report concludes the manufacturer is not at fault, because European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requirements do not define specific standards for mitigating such fatigue.
The company said in a statement, “Leonardo notes that the AAIB final report, released in September 2023, has not directed any Recommended Actions to Leonardo,” adding, “The AAIB report concluded that Leonardo complied with all regulatory requirements in both the design and manufacture of the AW169.”
