Prince William, wife Kate Middleton, and their three kids are supposed to fly on the Leicester City chopper that crashed a year ago. It was revealed that, before the crash, the helicopter pilot, Eric Swaffer, offered to fly the royal family for a November 2018 trip.
On Oct. 27, 2018, the helicopter that is being piloted by Swaffer crashed seconds after taking off from the King Power Stadium, the home of Leicester City Football Club in Leicester, United Kingdom. The tragedy claimed the lives of all five people on board: the pilot Eric Swaffer and his co-pilot and fiancé Izabela Lechowic and their three passengers Leicester City chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and two of his staff, Nusara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare.
The 53-year-old pilot was hailed as a hero when he saved more lives after he managed to steer the chopper away from the stadium, a nearby Holiday Inn hotel, and a National Grid building. More people could have been killed or injured if the helicopter crashed in populated areas near the stadium.
According to Kate Lechowicz, sister of co-pilot Izabela, Swaffer and Prince William are good friends. She opened up about how she was comforted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the wake of the tragedy.
Lechowicz said Prince William talked about the "quirky sense of humor" of the pilot. She also revealed that before the accident, Swaffer was excited about taking William's family on a trip on the AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter. The 37-year old heir to the throne was supposed to bring his wife Kate, and their children -- Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, and Prince Louis, 1 -- on their next trip if the accident did not happen.
"They were scheduled to fly together again in November just a short time after the helicopter crashed. William had told Eric, 'Next time it will be with Kate and the kids.' He said it will be a nice day out for him and the family," Lechowicz told The Sun.
Prince William and Swaffer first flew together in September 2018 and quickly became friends. Kate Middleton's husband is a former RAF search and rescue pilot as well as a pilot with the air ambulance service in East Anglia for several years. He completed his last day as an air ambulance pilot in July 2017.
After the crash, Prince William and Kate Middleton paid their respects to those who were killed in the crash. The royal prince also mentioned how "lucky" he is to have known club chairman Vichai.
Meanwhile, the UK's Chief Inspector of Air Accidents Crispin Orr issued a statement saying they will continue to work to fully understand what caused the mechanical trouble and to develop additional air safety measures. Orr said they will publish a detailed final report next year.
