Emiliano Sala

2022 - 9 - 21

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Emiliano Sala pilot told friend plane was 'dodgy' before fatal flight (The Guardian)

Newly released audio reveals David Ibbotson had concerns about aircraft in run-up to crash in 2019.

Last year, Henderson was jailed for 18 months after being convicted of endangering the safety of an aircraft. He denied knowingly arranging illegal “grey” flights with the businessman, who did not have an air operator’s certificate allowing him to fly paying passengers. Ibbotson had also been banned from flying the Piper Malibu by its owner after two airspace infringements months earlier but Henderson allowed him to fly. He told Jones that he heard a bang during the outward flight before departing Nantes. “I’m flying along and then ‘boom’. [Cardiff City](https://www.theguardian.com/football/cardiffcity) when the plane crashed in the Channel close to Guernsey.

Pilot told friend plane was 'dodgy' ahead of fatal flight which killed ... (Sky News)

An inquest found the player, who had just signed for Cardiff City, died from head and chest injuries but was deeply unconscious, having been poisoned by ...

"They've entrusted me to pick him up in a dodgy (aircraft). "I'm flying along and then 'boom'. After realising the plane's left brake pedal was not working when he landed at Nantes Atlantique airport, he added to Mr Jones: "This aircraft has got to go back in the hangar." "I'm mid-Channel and 'bang'," the pilot said in the recording. The pilot of a plane in which Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala died described the aircraft as "dodgy" in a voicemail to a friend before the fatal flight, it has emerged. [The striker](http://news.sky.com/topic/emiliano-sala-7939) had just signed for Cardiff City - then in the Premier League - for a club record fee of £15m and was killed in the evening flight from Nantes to Wales on 21 January 2019.

Emiliano Sala: Pilot told friend plane was 'dodgy' before footballer's ... (The Independent)

Sala was joining then Premier League club Cardiff City in a £15 million transfer, which involved football agent Willie McKay, from Ligue 1's Nantes.

[Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. “I’m flying along and then ‘boom’. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism Mr Ibbotson had also reported the loud bang between Cardiff and Nantes to Mr Henderson – but an engineer was never asked to investigate when the plane landed in France. Mr McKay arranged the flights and said he wanted to help Sala get back to Nantes to say goodbye to his teammates, claiming Cardiff City “abandoned” him. [Pilot](/topic/pilot) and businessman David Henderson, 67, managed the single-engine aircraft on behalf of its owner and arranged flights, pilots and maintenance, despite not being the legally registered operator. “I’m mid-Channel and ‘bang’,” the pilot said in the recording. [Emiliano Sala](/topic/emiliano-sala) died described the aircraft as “dodgy” and vowed to wear his lifejacket prior to the fatal flight. [Nantes](/topic/nantes) in France to Wales to join then Premier League club [Cardiff City](/topic/cardiff-city) when the plane crashed in the English Channel close to Guernsey, also killing 59-year-old pilot David Ibbotson.

Lincolnshire pilot called Emiliano Sala's plane 'dodgy' before fatal ... (LincolnshireLive)

The pilot of a plane in which footballer Emiliano Sala died told a friend before the fatal crash that he had been entrusted to pick up the £20m player in a ...

Following March’s inquest finding, a coroner vowed to write to the Government and the sports industry with her concerns about illegal “grey” passenger flights. He had been banned from flying the Piper Malibu by its owner following two airspace infringements months earlier, but Mr Henderson allowed him to continue. He admitted a further offence of trying to arrange a flight for a passenger without permission or authorisation. He denied knowingly arranging illegal “grey” flights with Mr Henderson, who did not have an air operator’s certificate (AOC) allowing him to fly paying passengers. He told Mr Jones before departing Nantes that he heard “a bang” during the outward flight. Football agent Willie McKay, who was helping his son Mark’s firm represent Nantes in the transfer, was a long-term client. Pilot and businessman David Henderson, 67, managed the single-engine aircraft on behalf of its owner and arranged flights, pilots and maintenance, despite not being the legally registered operator. An [inquest](https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/family-devastated-after-boston-teenager-7606995) in March found the Argentina-born striker died from head and chest injuries but was deeply unconscious, having been poisoned by fumes from the Piper Malibu’s faulty exhaust system, on the evening of January 21, 2019. “They’ve entrusted me to pick him up in a dodgy (aircraft). Newly released audio from the BBC’s Transfer: The EmilianoSala Story podcast shows Mr Ibbotson appeared to have concerns about the plane following the outward flight from Cardiff to Nantes. The BBC “I’m flying along and then ‘boom’.

Pilot of fatal Emiliano Sala flight told friends aircraft was "dodgy" (The Lincolnite)

The pilot of Emiliano Sala's plane told friends the aircraft was “dodgy” in a conversation which was accidentally recorded, before the flight which killed ...

“I’m mid-Channel and ‘bang’,” Ibbotson told friend Kevin Jones about his flight to Nantes. [jailed in November last year for 18 months](https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2021/11/man-who-organised-emiliano-sala-death-flight-is-jailed-for-18-months/). “I’m flying along and then ‘boom’. Plane N264DB was left on the seabed. Footage has also been released showing the last moment the pair were seen alive. The player’s body was recovered from the wreckage when it was discovered 68m (223ft) below the English Channel, two weeks after the crash.

Watch: CCTV footage shows final moments of footballer Emiliano ... (The Indian Express)

Emiliano Sala had just shifted to then English Premier League side Cardiff City from French club Nantes at the time of the plane crash.

The video shows the last time the plane was seen before take-off. Sala was 28 years old at the time of his death. Sala was also worried about the plane. The CCTV footage from January 21, 2019 was recorded just 45 minutes before take-off. A video posted by the BBC shows the last moments of Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson. The footballer was about to be transferred to then [English Premier League](https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/64-year-old-truck-driver-impresses-tens-of-thousands-with-his-football-skills-7972950/) side Cardiff City from French club Nantes when the plane carrying him crashed into the English Channel.