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re: Emiliano Sala: Pilot Said Doomed Plane Was Dodgy
Final Report into Emiliano Sala Plane Crash Rules Pilot "Flew Too Fast and Lost Control"
Footballer Emiliano Sala was killed when the plane carrying him crashed into the English Channel while en route to Cardiff after signing for the Welsh side
Daily Mirror UK, 13 MAR 2020
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The plane crash that killed footballer Emiliano Sala was caused when the pilot flew too fast and lost control while attempting to avoid bad weather, accident investigators said.
A final report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded that the single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft suffered an in-flight break up while being flown too fast for its design limits.
It added that pilot David Ibbotson, 59, was probably affected by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Investigators found that a contributory factor in the crash was Mr Ibbotson having no training in night flying and a lack of recent practice in relying only on ****pit instruments to control a plane.
Summarising the findings, Geraint Herbert, investigator in charge, said: "Control of the aircraft was lost during a manually flown turn and the aircraft descended rapidly accelerating.
He said the resulting loads on the aircraft were "excessive", which caused it to then "break-up in flight."
"It was likely that the pilot's ability to control the flight was impaired to some extent by carbon monoxide poisoning," he added.
Argentinian striker Sala, 28, signed for Cardiff City from French club Nantes on January 19, 2019, for £15 million.
Mr Ibbotson flew him from Cardiff to Nantes so he could say goodbye to his former teammates later that day, before conducting the fatal return flight two days later when the plane plunged into the Channel.
Sala's body was recovered but Mr Ibbotson has not been found.
Sala had signed for Cardiff from Nantes (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Neither Mr Ibbotson nor the plane were licensed for the flight to operate commercially but evidence showed he was to be paid a fee, the AAIB said.
Unlicensed charter flight operations - known as grey charters - generally incur lower operating costs.
Former football agent Willie McKay has said he paid for the fatal flight but did not choose the pilot or the plane.
He has explained he was helping his son Mark, who was acting for Nantes, to complete the transfer.
Alison Campbell, senior inspector for operations, said it was a dark night with "little or no" visible horizon.
"There was poor weather in the area, and from his radio calls, it was clear the pilot needed to manoeuvre to avoid it," she explained.
Following a descent of thousands of feet in a matter of seconds, the pilot attempted an "abrupt nose-up" manoeuvre.
This was conducted at a speed far in excess of the design limits of the plane, causing it to break-up.
Investigators concluded that the aircraft entered the Channel upside down, and the impact was "not survivable".
The AAIB also revealed that the pilot informed a number of individuals about four potential problems with the aircraft that had occurred during the outbound flight from Cardiff.
This included a "bang", although its cause is unknown and it could not be determined if it was a factor in the crash.
RELATED:
Emiliano Sala: Police to take no further action against man accused of manslaughter
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