Investigators reveal irregularities in Emiliano Sala's fatal accident

Posted Saturday, March 14, 2020 by Marca.com

The pilot carrying Emiliano Sala and the plane in which the Argentine footballer was travelling did not have the necessary licences to operate commercially, a report from the United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) discovered on Friday.

Sala died on January 21, 2019, when the plane carrying him, along with pilot David Ibbotson, crashed in the English Channel.

The Argentine was travelling from Nantes to Cardiff, where he was going to join his new team.

The AAIB investigation revealed that Ibbotson lost control of the aircraft during a turn, which was "more likely" to happen because the flight "was not conducted in accordance with the safety standards applicable to a commercial operation."

According to the AAIB, Ibbotson had no prior training in night flying and his private pilot's license, which allows him to fly a single-engine plane, had expired three months before the accident.

In addition, the pilot was paid for the trip, something that was not authorised by his license.

The investigation concluded that both Sala and Ibbotson "probably" suffered carbon monoxide poisoning as the plane plunged into the sea.

While Sala's body was recovered weeks after the crash by the plane's fuselage, Ibbotson's was never found.