Emiliano Sala death: Man admits to having arranged footballer's flight without permission

Two years ago, Football enthusiasts across the world woke up to a heartbreaking morning after Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala died in a horrific plane crash in January 2019. The flight being flown by pilot David Ibbotson crashed into the English Channel and now, a man named David Henderson has admitted to trying to arrange a flight without proper permission from the authorities. As reported by BBC, the charges have been brought by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), related to endangering an aircraft and its operation without authorization. During a court hearing in October 2020, it was confirmed that Ibbotson’s license to fly a commercial aircraft had expired in November 2018.

67-year-old Henderson allegedly arranged the flight for the footballer with 59-year-old pilot Ibbotson. Henderson will now go on a trial after previously denying a separate charge of putting the safety of an aircraft in danger. The single-engine Piper Malibu aircraft was carrying Sala from Nantes in France to Cardiff, as it went off the radar in the English Channel. Sala’s body was recovered two weeks later, whereas, the pilot’s body was never found.

Emiliano Sala was roped in by Cardiff for a club-record fee 

The Air Accidents Investigations Branch(AAIB) had reported earlier in the year that the aircraft was leaking carbon monoxide during the flight and as Ibbotson pulled up the plane, the aircraft broke down mid-air before crashing down on the sea-bed. A jury inquest of the pilot’s death was postponed until Henderson’s trial was completed, which is now scheduled for February 14, 2022. Meanwhile, Henderson’s court trial is expected to last for at least 10 days.

During his last flight, Sala was travelling to Cardiff from Nantes after getting signed for a club-record fee in January 2019. During his time at Nantes, the centre-forward scored 48 goals in 133 appearances for the club. A day before getting on to the flight for Cardiff, the footballer spent his time by saying farewell to his teammates at the French club. In the 2018-19 season, he was one of the top goal scorers of Nantes, with a total of 12 goals in 19 Ligue 1 matches. In his club football career of eight years, he scored a total of 91 goals in 235 appearances.

(Image: AP)