LEICESTER HELICOPTER CRASH: 53 YEAR-OLD PILOT IS HAILED AS HERO

Eric Swaffer, the pilot of the ill-fated helicopter which carried the owner of Leicester City FC and five others has been hailed as a hero.

The 53 year old pilot is believed to have saved the lives of hundreds of fans by steering the doomed aircraft away from vulnerable fans on the ground.

According to a Daily Mail report, experts suspect the helicopter’s tail rotor failed, sending the £6million AgustaWestland into a ‘dead man’s curve’ that no pilot could handle.  The helicopter was often flown by Swaffer, 53, who has posted pictures of the craft on social media.

The helicopter was heading for Luton Airport where he was due to catch a flight to Thailand.

But witnesses say they heard the ‘engine stop’ in mid-air just after take-off before the aircraft plummeted to the ground in the club’s car park at around 8.30pm.