The portrait of Emiliano Sala displayed on the railings at the Beaujoire. – Michel Euler / AP / SIPA
The AAIB has made its investigation into the air crash that killed Emiliano Sala and possibly his pilot, whose body was never found, Dave Ibbotson. The pilot would have carried out an excessive speed maneuver, which caused the dislocation of the aircraft, concluded the investigation office
British Air Accidents Association (AAIB).
In their final report published Friday, investigators believe that the pilot lost control of the aircraft during a maneuver probably intended to avoid bad weather. Pilot David Ibbotson, whose body has never been found, was also “probably” poisoned by carbon monoxide.
“A loss of control was made more likely because the flight was not carried out in accordance with the security standards applicable to commercial operations,” said the report. This was manifested by the flight under night visual flight rules in poor weather conditions, despite the fact that the pilot had no training in night flight and a lack of recent practice in instrument flight. “
No chance of survival
The plane was launched at a speed of 270 miles per hour (435 KM / h) at the time of impact with water, according to the AAIB, which excluded the possibility of survival. In a statement, Crispin Orr, chief aviation accident inspector, said investigators had “made significant safety recommendations which, if fully implemented, would significantly reduce the risk of such an accident recurring” .
The recommendations relate to making the presence of a carbon monoxide detector mandatory on aircraft fitted with a piston engine and to improving the monitoring of pilot qualifications. The small private plane aboard which the 28-year-old player and his pilot crashed in the English Channel on January 21, 2019. The FC Nantes striker joined the Cardiff club, where he had just been transferred, to 17 million euros.
The body of the player, whose disappearance had caused strong emotion in the world of football and beyond, had been found in the carcass of the device, more than two weeks after the accident, at 67 meters deep.
