2019 English Channel Piper PA-46 crash

Last updated

2019 English Channel Piper PA-46 crash
Piper PA-46 Malibu N264DB abyssed.jpg
Wreckage of the aircraft on the seabed
Accident
Date21 January 2019 (2019-01-21)
Summary Loss of control, mid-air breakup, crashed into the sea
Site English Channel, off Alderney, Channel Islands
49°49′N2°43′W / 49.82°N 2.71°W / 49.82; -2.71 [1]
2019 English Channel Piper PA-46 crash
Aircraft
Piper PA-46P at Coventry-CVT.jpg
N264DB, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in 2017
Aircraft type Piper PA-46 Malibu
Registration N264DB
Flight origin Nantes Atlantique Airport, Nantes, France
Destination Cardiff Airport, Cardiff, Wales
Occupants2
Passengers1
Crew1
Fatalities2
Survivors0

On 21 January 2019, a Piper PA-46 Malibu light aircraft transporting Argentine football player Emiliano Sala crashed in the English Channel off Alderney in the Channel Islands. It had been travelling from Nantes, France, to Cardiff, Wales. Sala was due to begin his career at Cardiff City.

Contents

Radar contact was lost when the aircraft was 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi) north of Guernsey. After the search for survivors was abandoned on 24 January, a private search for wreckage was launched. Sala's body was recovered, but no trace of the pilot David Ibbotson was found.

The flight had taken place in cloudy conditions at night, and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) determined that Ibbotson lost control of the aircraft while manoeuvring to avoid cloud at an excessive airspeed, causing an in-flight breakup. Substantial amounts of carbon monoxide had leaked into the cabin, likely rendering Sala unconscious and impairing Ibbotson's judgement. Ibbotson's rating for flying the aircraft had expired in November 2018 which invalidated his licence, he was not qualified to fly at night, and he lacked recent practice flying in instrument meteorological conditions. [2] : 87–90  [3]

David Henderson organised the flight and was originally scheduled to be the pilot. He was found to have operated a commercial flight without holding the required licence or following regulations requiring higher operational standards that may have prevented the accident. He was charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft, was found guilty on 28 October 2021 after a trial at Cardiff Crown Court, and was jailed for 18 months.

Disappearance

The aircraft departed from Nantes Atlantique Airport at 19:15 GMT (20:15 CET) bound for Cardiff Airport. [4] Sala had been signed two days previously by Cardiff City Football Club from FC Nantes. [4] [5] The pilot was identified by Guernsey Police as David Ibbotson. [6] Shortly before contact with air traffic control in Jersey was lost, a request was made by the pilot to descend from 5,000 to 2,500 feet (1,520 to 760 m), in order to maintain visual meteorological conditions (VMC). [7] [8] Radar contact was lost when the aircraft was at an altitude of 2,300 feet (700 m). [4] [2]

At 20:23 GMT, Guernsey Coastguard received an alert from Jersey air traffic control saying that a plane had gone off the radar around 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi) north of Guernsey. [9] The plane was then around 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8 mi) northwest of Alderney, Channel Islands, near Casquets lighthouse. [10]

The flight was arranged by football agent Willie McKay, who said that he was not involved in selecting the plane or the pilot. David Henderson had originally intended to fly the plane himself, but the flight was given to David Ibbotson. [11] [12] [13] The flight plan showed that the plane was scheduled to take off at 09:00 GMT (10:00 CET) on 21 January, but was delayed until the evening. [14]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-46 Malibu, a six-seat type equipped with a single piston engine, [15] registered in the United States as N264DB, [16] serial number 46-8408037. The aircraft was manufactured in 1984. The Certificate of Registration had been issued on 11 September 2015. [17] The aircraft's last annual inspection had been conducted 11 flying hours before the accident. The aircraft did not carry and was not required to carry a carbon monoxide detector. [2] : 89  It carried a valid registration and a valid airworthiness certificate, but was being operated under US Federal Aviation Regulations Part 91, which allowed only private flights and not air charter. [2] : 87 

Ibbotson and Sala had expressed misgivings about the aircraft. In a telephone conversation after landing at Nantes, Ibbotson described it as "dodgy" and recounted how he had heard a bang while they were mid-channel. [18] In a WhatsApp audio message sent just before takeoff on the return flight, Sala said "I am now on board a plane that seems like it is falling to pieces... If you do not have any more news in an hour and a half, I don't know if they need to send someone to find me. I am getting scared!" [19] [2] : 30  Cardiff City had offered Sala a commercial flight from Paris, but he said that he had made alternative arrangements and would be training with his new teammates on the morning after the flight. [20]

N264DB was registered to a trustee, the Southern Aircraft Consultancy in Bungay, Suffolk, United Kingdom. [15] [21] Henderson managed operations of the aircraft on their behalf. Six months earlier, the owners had told Henderson not to let Ibbotson fly it because he committed airspace violations when he flew it previously. [22]

English Channel location map.svg
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Location of the aircraft's wreckage in the English Channel

A search and rescue operation was launched, but was suspended at 02:00 GMT on 22 January due to worsening weather conditions. Although the area was outside the United Kingdom's area of responsibility, Her Majesty's Coastguard sent two helicopters to assist in the search for the aircraft. [4] A French helicopter was also sent to participate in the search, as were the Alderney and Guernsey lifeboats. [23]

The search resumed at 08:00 GMT on 22 January. [4] By 11:45 GMT, a total of 755 square nautical miles (2,590 km2; 1,000 sq mi) had been covered by five aircraft and two lifeboats, but no trace of the aircraft had been found. [24] A French Navy vessel also participated in the search. [4] As of 15:30 GMT on 22 January, one aircraft and one lifeboat were still searching, bringing the total area covered to 872 square nautical miles (2,991 km2; 1,155 sq mi). [25] The search was again suspended in the evening of 22 January. Floating objects were found. [23] The search resumed at 08:00 GMT on 23 January with two aircraft searching coastal areas around Alderney. [26] As of 11:30 GMT, a helicopter and three aircraft were continuing the search and trying to review satellite imagery and mobile phone data; there was still no trace of the missing aircraft. [27]

On 23 January, the Channel Islands Air Search said they had abandoned hope of finding any survivors in the water. [28] The search then focused on the possibility that survivors were on a life raft in the English Channel. [29] The official search was called off on 24 January because the chances of survival were said to be "extremely remote". The search had covered 1,284 square nautical miles (4,403 km2; 1,700 sq mi) of land and sea, covering Burhou, Les Casquets, Alderney, the north coast of the Cherbourg Peninsula, and the north coast of Jersey and Sark. [30]

Salvage activity

Sala's family launched a fundraising appeal to find his body [31] and a private search was launched on 26 January, funded by £259,000 raised in donations, via website GoFundMe. [32] On 28 January, marine scientist David Mearns, who led the search, announced that a search vessel with an unmanned remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) was expected to be in place "by the end of the week". They planned to focus on some 25 square nautical miles (86 km2; 33 sq mi) of the seabed; the last known position of the aircraft was north of Hurd's Deep. In the meantime, two fishing boats were being used to carry out a surface search of the area. [33] Mearns engaged the FPV Morven for the search. [34]

On 30 January 2019 the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) reported that two seat cushions, found on a beach near Surtainville in France, were likely to be from the missing aircraft. AAIB identified a priority search area of approximately four square nautical miles (14 km2; 5 sq mi) and commissioned a survey vessel from the British Ministry of Defence with sonar equipment to search the seabed for the aircraft. [35] [36] [37] The AAIB search carried out by the vessel Geo Ocean III started on 3 February, together with the private search. The planned search was to cover an area of four square nautical miles (14 km2; 5 sq mi) about 24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi) north of Guernsey. [38] [39] [40] The search area was divided between the two teams.

On 3 February, wreckage of N264DB was found on the seabed [41] at about 0.5 nautical miles (1 km; 0.6 mi) from the last known location. [42] [43] The wreckage was at a depth of 220 feet (67 m). [44] [45] Images from the AAIB search remote submersible had shown the registration mark and at least one body inside the wreckage. [46] The vertical stabiliser, the horizontal stabiliser, and the outer panels of both wings were missing, and the damage to the cockpit was so severe that it was impossible to determine control positions or flight instrument readings with any confidence. [2] : 33 

Sala's body was recovered from the wreckage on 7 February and taken to the Isle of Portland to be passed to the Dorset coroner. [47] [48] His body was identified by means of fingerprint evidence. [49] [50] Attempts to recover the aircraft wreckage were unsuccessful and poor weather conditions forced the salvage team to return the ROV to the ship. [51] On 11 February, the results of a post-mortem reported that Sala had died of "head and trunk injuries". [50]

The daughter of the pilot David Ibbotson launched a crowdfunding appeal to locate his body, which raised over £250,000, including a donation of £27,000 from French footballer Kylian Mbappé. [52] [53] The money raised was used to pay for a second dive to the wreck on 27 February and for a helicopter search of coastal areas in the Channel Islands, but no body was found. [54] [55]

Investigation

The crash site lies in international waters. Under Annex 13 to the Convention on Civil Aviation, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had responsibility for investigating the accident because the aircraft was registered in the United States. The NTSB, in agreement with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) delegated responsibility for the investigation to the AAIB because the aircraft was based in the UK. [2] On 23 January 2019, the AAIB opened an investigation into the accident. Assistance was given by France's Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses, the British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Argentina's Junta de Investigación de Accidentes de Aviación Civil and the NTSB. [16] [2]

Part of the investigation covered the operational aspects related to the accident including licensing and flight plans. David Ibbotson had undergone training to become a commercial pilot between 2012 and 2014, but had dropped out before it was completed; his private pilot licence did not permit him to carry passengers for profit. [56] [57] [58] [2] : 8  [59] Ibbotson's type rating for the Piper Malibu had expired months prior to the crash. [60] [2] : 8  While at Nantes Atlantique Airport, Ibbotson had posted on Facebook that he was "a bit rusty" with the instrument landing system on the Piper Malibu. [61]

Post mortem tests on Sala's body showed exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) with a carboxyhemoglobin level of 58%, which could have led to symptoms including seizure, unconsciousness or a heart attack. [2] : 38–39  The AAIB considered it likely that the pilot would also have been exposed to CO. The AAIB said that it had no plans to raise the wreckage of the plane from the seabed, saying "In this case, we consider that it will not add significantly to the investigation and we will identify the correct safety issues through other means." [62] [63]

The accident investigation prompted the CAA to publish a leaflet, Legal to Fly, to advise travellers how to identify and avoid unlicenced air charters. [2] : 50  [64]

AAIB final report

The AAIB published its final report into the accident on 13 March 2020. [2] : i–iv  [3] The AAIB attributed the accident to a loss of aircraft control (LOC) during a series of turns most likely initiated to "remain in or regain VMC" while flying "significantly in excess of [the Piper's] design manoeuvring speed". The direct cause of the crash was found to be an in-flight breakup following failure of the horizontal stabiliser. Additionally, Ibbotson was "probably affected by CO poisoning". [2] : 87–89 

The Piper was equipped with an autopilot that had been placarded as inoperative (INOP) in 2017 for repeatedly disengaging without pilot input. A mechanic had recommended installing an updated computer, but the AAIB found no evidence indicating any repair had been performed, and investigators were given "conflicting information" whether the INOP placard was still in place during the preceding outbound flight. [2] : 25, 68  The AAIB concluded from radar data that the aircraft had most likely been flying on autopilot shortly before the final series of turns, but could not determine whether the system had disengaged unexpectedly or been switched off deliberately. The AAIB speculated that Ibbotson might have been distracted by the autopilot malfunctioning. [2] : 25, 68 

Shortly before the crash, Ibbotson initiated a series of turns to remain in VMC, culminating in a final high-speed descending turn to the right and a pull-up manoeuvre that exceeded the strength of the horizontal stabiliser. After it failed, the aircraft would have violently pitched down, causing aerodynamic forces to break away the outer wing panels and vertical stabiliser. [2] : 70, 71  This accident sequence and the damage to the aircraft wreckage were consistent with three past PA-46 LOC accidents analyzed by the AAIB. [2] : 43, 70 

The AAIB was unable to determine with certainty what caused CO to enter the cabin, but said it was most likely caused by a failed heater muff leaking exhaust gasses into the cabin heating system. The heater muff had been visually inspected during the aircraft's recent annual inspection but there was no evidence it had been pressure-tested; in a previous unrelated PA-46 accident analyzed by the AAIB, the heater muff had failed six flying hours after inspection. [2] : 80, 89  If the operator had followed commercial regulations, a pressure test would have been performed. [3]

The AAIB concluded that Ibbotson was not licensed to fly the plane as his rating had expired in November 2018, that he was not qualified to fly at night, and that he lacked recent practice flying in instrument meteorological conditions. [2] : 90  [3] The AAIB stated that "loss of control was made more likely because the flight was not conducted in accordance with safety standards applicable to commercial operations." [2] : 90  The investigation stated that "neither the plane nor the pilot had the required licences or permissions to operate commercially." The report concluded that Sala would have been "deeply unconscious" due to carbon monoxide poisoning at the time of the crash, but that Ibbotson was still conscious and in control of the plane up to the time of the crash. The AAIB recommended that aircraft be required to carry active CO detectors. [3]

During the flight from Cardiff to Nantes, Ibbotson reported hearing a "bang" or "boom". The AAIB could not determine what caused this, or whether it was a factor in the accident. [2] : 73–75 

In September 2019, the director of the company responsible for security at the mortuary in Bournemouth was jailed for 14 months, for accessing CCTV footage of Sala's post-mortem and posting it on Twitter. One of her employees was jailed for 5 months on the same charge of computer misuse. [65] [66]

In June 2019, Dorset Police arrested David Henderson on suspicion of manslaughter by an unlawful act in respect of the death of Sala. Henderson had arranged the flight and had originally intended to fly the plane. [13] [67] [68] Police decided not to proceed with the case for manslaughter, [69] but on 26 October, Henderson appeared at Cardiff Crown Court, via video link, charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft and attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation. Henderson pleaded not guilty to both charges and was granted bail until 18 October 2021. [60] On that date, he pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting to discharge a passenger without permission or authorisation. [22] [70] The court uncovered communications before the flight in which Henderson discussed Ibbotson's inadequate qualifications and asked others not to talk about the flight because "questions may be asked about his flying". [22] On 28 October, Henderson was convicted on the charge of endangering the safety of an aircraft and jailed for 18 months. [71] [72] In his sentencing remarks, Mr Justice Foxton said that Henderson had been aware that David Ibbotson was not qualified to fly at night, but had allowed the flight to go ahead because delaying it would have led to increased handling and landing fees. [73] In February 2022, Henderson was refused leave to appeal against the sentence. [74]

Inquest

Following Henderson's conviction in October 2021, [71] the inquest into the two deaths opened on 15 February 2022 in Bournemouth. [60] [72] [75] It concluded on 17 March with the verdict that Sala and Ibbotson had been affected by carbon monoxide poisoning from the plane's engine before the crash. The jury said that Ibbotson may have "felt under pressure" to fly due to the importance of the customer, while the coroner called for tighter regulation of unlicenced commercial flights. [76]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The AAIB screenshot of the wreckage shows that the location is UTM 30U 520812.80 5518513.32. This corresponds to 49°49'07.3"N 2°42'38.4"W.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT 1/2020: Report on the accident to Piper PA-46-310P Malibu, N264DB 22 nm north-north-west of Guernsey on 21 January 2019" (PDF). Air Accidents Investigation Branch. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Emiliano Sala crash: Pilot Ibbotson 'not licensed for flight'". BBC News. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Emiliano Sala: Cardiff City FC player on missing plane". BBC News. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  5. ↑ "Emiliano Sala: Cardiff City sign Nantes striker for undisclosed club record fee". BBC Sport. 19 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  6. ↑ @GuernseyPolice (23 January 2019). "16.55 update. Harbour Master Captain David Barker says: "I can confirm the name of the pilot is David Ibbotson."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ "AAIB Bulletin S1/2019 SPECIAL" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  8. ↑ "Seat Cushions Believed to Be From Plane Carrying Emiliano Sala Are Found". New York Times. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  9. ↑ "Emiliano Sala missing plane: What we now know and the unanswered questions". Wales Online. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  10. ↑ Morris, Steven (24 January 2019). "Search for Sala: meet the volunteers who scoured the seas". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  11. ↑ Roan, Dan (26 January 2019). "Emiliano Sala: Agent who booked Cardiff City striker's flight reveals text messages". BBC News. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  12. ↑ "Disparition d'Emiliano Sala. Dave Henderson : " Je ne suis pas venu à Nantes depuis un an "". Ouest-France (in French). 29 January 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  13. 1 2 "Emiliano Sala: Manslaughter arrest over footballer's death". BBC News. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  14. ↑ "Disparition de Sala. Le plan de vol qui démontre que les McKay n'ont pas tout dit". Ouest-France (in French). 10 February 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  15. 1 2 "FAA Registry – Aircraft – N-Number Inquiry". registry.faa.gov. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  16. 1 2 "AAIB investigation into the loss of aircraft N264DB". Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  17. ↑ "N-Number Inquiry Results". Federal Aviation Administration. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  18. ↑ Thomas, Kayley (20 September 2022). "Emiliano Sala: Pilot told friend doomed plane was 'dodgy'". BBC News. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  19. ↑ Burrows, Ben (23 January 2019). "Emiliano Sala left Whatsapp voice message saying plane 'looked like it was falling apart', claim reports" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019.
  20. ↑ "The exact plane Emiliano Sala was flying on when it crashed into the English Channel". Wales Online. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  21. ↑ Morris, Steven; Parveen, Nazia (24 January 2019). "Emiliano Sala's sister begs rescuers to restart search for missing footballer". The Guardian .
  22. 1 2 3 "Emiliano Sala flight organiser 'hired unqualified pilot'". BBC News. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  23. 1 2 "Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala was on missing plane". Sky News. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  24. ↑ "13.15 update. – Guernsey Police". Facebook. Guernsey Police. 22 January 2019. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  25. ↑ "Guernsey Police Update". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  26. ↑ @GuernseyPolice (23 January 2019). "1/2 23rd January 7.30am update. We have resumed searching. Two planes are taking off & will search a targeted area we believe has the highest likelihood of finding anything, based on review of the tides and weather since it went missing" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ↑ @GuernseyPolice (23 January 2019). "11.30am update There are currently three planes and one helicopter in the air. We are also reviewing satellite imagery and mobile phone data to see if they can be of any assistance in the search. So far today nothing spotted can be attributed to the missing plane" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  28. ↑ "Emiliano Sala: 'No hope' for missing Cardiff City player". BBC News. 23 January 2019.
  29. ↑ Harris, Chris (23 January 2019). "Brexit warning; Sala plane search; and EU golden visa warning | Europe briefing". Euronews.com. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
  30. ↑ "Emiliano Sala: Search for footballer and pilot called off". BBC Wales. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  31. ↑ Morris, Steven (28 January 2019). "Emiliano Sala's family hire submarine to hunt for missing plane". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 February 2019– via www.theguardian.com.
  32. ↑ Press Association (27 January 2019). "Search for Emiliano Sala resumes after crowdfunding effort". The Guardian .
  33. ↑ Morris, Steven (28 January 2019). "Emiliano Sala's family hire submarine to hunt for missing plane". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  34. ↑ "Update 3: AAIB investigation into the loss of aircraft N264DB". Air Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  35. ↑ Morris, Steven (30 January 2019). "Emiliano Sala: UK military to hunt for missing plane". theguardian.com. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  36. ↑ "Seat cushions from missing Sala plane found". Times of Malta . 30 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  37. ↑ Sansom, Dan (1 February 2019). "Private search for Emiliano Sala plane starts Sunday". Sky Sports.
  38. ↑ "Sala plane underwater search begins". BBC News. 3 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  39. ↑ Parmenter, Tom (3 February 2019). "Search zone for missing footballer Emiliano Sala narrowed". Sky News. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  40. ↑ McKenzie, Sheena (3 February 2019). "Privately funded search for missing plane of footballer Emiliano Sala begins". CNN. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  41. ↑ Gillespie, Tom (3 February 2019). "Emiliano Sala: Missing Premier League footballer's plane found". Sky News.
  42. ↑ Irishmirror.ie (5 February 2019). "Emiliano Sala's friend speaks in emotional TV interview about missing player". irishmirror. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  43. ↑ Buck, Kate (3 February 2019). "Plane wreckage found in search for missing footballer Emiliano Sala". Metro. Associated Newspapers. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  44. ↑ Magra, Iliana (3 February 2019). "Video Shows Undersea Wreck of Plane that Carried Soccer Star Emiliano Sala". The New York Times . Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  45. ↑ Morris, Steven; Weaver, Matthew (4 February 2019). "Emiliano Sala search: investigators spot body in plane wreckage". The Guardian . Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  46. ↑ "'One occupant visible' in Emiliano Sala plane wreckage – investigators". Sky News. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  47. ↑ "Emiliano Sala search team recover body from plane wreckage". BBC News. 7 February 2019.
  48. ↑ Mercer, David; Taylor, Rebecca (7 February 2019). "Emiliano Sala search: Body recovered lands in Dorset". Sky News. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  49. ↑ "Emiliano Sala: Body identified as footballer". BBC. 7 February 2019.
  50. 1 2 Doel, Jon; Booth, Dominic (11 February 2019). "Live updates as inquest into Emiliano Sala's death adjourned". walesonline. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  51. ↑ Doel, Jon; Sands, Katie (7 February 2019). "Live updates as body recovered from Emiliano Sala plane wreckage set to be identified". WalesOnline.
  52. ↑ "Footballer gives £27,000 to pilot search". BBC News. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  53. ↑ "Making a stride to bring David Ibbotson home". Grimsbylive. 23 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019– via www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk.
  54. ↑ Bonnie Christian (19 February 2019). "Emiliano Sala latest: New search for pilot David Ibbotson could begin next week, says family | London Evening Standard". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  55. ↑ "Emiliano Sala plane crash: Pilot search finds 'no sign' – BBC News". BBC News. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  56. ↑ "Emiliano Sala plane crash: Pilot's licence scrutiny". BBC News . 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  57. ↑ "Emiliano Sala: Argentina president backs new search for footballer". BBC News . Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  58. ↑ "Emiliano Sala: Who owned the plane the Cardiff player died in?". BBC News . 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  59. ↑ "Emiliano Sala death: Pilot 'dropped out of commercial training'". BBC News . 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  60. 1 2 3 "Emiliano Sala: David Henderson appears in court on flight charges". BBC News. 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  61. ↑ de Menezes, Jack (24 January 2019). "Emiliano Sala: Pilot missing admitted he was a 'bit rusty' in days before flight with Cardiff striker disappeared". The Independent. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  62. ↑ "Emiliano Sala 'exposed to carbon monoxide in plane crash'". BBC News. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  63. ↑ "AAIB bulletin published on 14 August 2019" (PDF). Air Accident Investigation Branch. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  64. ↑ Legal to Fly, CAA. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  65. ↑ "Emiliano Sala: Arrests after 'body photo' posted on Twitter". BBC News. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  66. ↑ "Emiliano Sala death: Pair 'driven by morbid curiosity' jailed over mortuary footage". Sky News. 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  67. ↑ Morris, Steven; Parveen, Nazia (20 June 2019). "Emiliano Sala: York man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter". The Guardian.
  68. ↑ Brown, David (20 June 2019). "Pilot arrested over Channel plane crash death of Emiliano Sala" . The Times .
  69. ↑ "Emiliano Sala: No further action after manslaughter arrest". BBC News Online. 11 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  70. ↑ Morris, Steven (18 October 2021). "Man admits to charge over death of footballer in Cardiff flight crash". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  71. 1 2 "Emiliano Sala: Flight organiser convicted over plane deaths". BBC News. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  72. 1 2 "Emiliano Sala: Businessman who organised fatal flight for footballer jailed for 18 months". Sky News. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  73. ↑ Dewey, Philip (12 November 2021). "Emiliano Sala plane organiser David Henderson jailed". Wales Online. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  74. ↑ "Emiliano Sala: David Henderson refused appeal against sentence". BBC News. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  75. ↑ "Emiliano Sala felt under 'a lot of pressure' to play in the Premier League, inquest hears". Sky News. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  76. ↑ Morris, Steven (18 March 2022). "Coroner calls for crackdown on 'grey flights' after Emiliano Sala's death". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
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