Incident Overview
On 21 January 2019, a Piper PA-46 Malibu aircraft transporting Argentine football player Emiliano Sala disappeared from radar while flying over the English Channel. The aircraft had departed from Nantes Atlantique Airport in France at 19:15 GMT, bound for Cardiff Airport in Wales. Sala had been signed by Cardiff City Football Club two days prior. The pilot was identified as David Ibbotson.
Radar contact was lost when the aircraft was at an altitude of 2,300 feet (700 m), approximately 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi) north of Guernsey. Shortly before losing contact, the pilot had requested a descent from 5,000 to 2,500 feet to maintain visual meteorological conditions. The Guernsey Coastguard received an alert from Jersey air traffic control at 20:23 GMT. The search for survivors was abandoned on 24 January, after which a private search located wreckage.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-46 Malibu, a six-seat single-engine piston aircraft registered in the United States as N264DB (serial number 46-8408037). Manufactured in 1984, it held a valid registration and airworthiness certificate but was operated under US Federal Aviation Regulations Part 91, which permits only private flights, not air charter. The aircraft did not carry a carbon monoxide detector, nor was it required to.
The flight was arranged by football agent Willie McKay, who stated he was not involved in selecting the plane or pilot. David Henderson originally intended to pilot the flight but assigned it to David Ibbotson. Henderson was later charged with endangering the safety of an aircraft and was convicted on 28 October 2021, receiving an 18-month prison sentence.
Investigation Findings
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) determined that Ibbotson lost control of the aircraft while manoeuvring to avoid cloud at an excessive airspeed, resulting in 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 the aircraft type had expired in November 2018, invalidating his licence; he was not qualified to fly at night and lacked recent practice in instrument meteorological conditions. David Henderson was found to have operated a commercial flight without the required licence or adherence to regulations that may have prevented the accident.