Wreckage of N264DB
Aviation safety news

Emiliano Sala Crash: Pilot & Plane unlicensed

The formal report into the crash that killed Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala has said that neither the pilot nor the plane were licensed to operate commercial flights. Furthermore, the pilot, David Ibbotson (59) was not qualified to fly at night and was inexperienced with Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flying. [read more]

Piper Malibu N264DB was owned by Fay Keely's family trust (Image: AAIB)
Aviation safety news

Sala Crash: Flight organiser jailed

The organiser of the flight that killed Emiliano Sala has been jailed for 18 months at Cardiff Crown Court. David Henderson 67, of Hotham, East Riding of Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to trying to arrange an unauthorised flight and was also found guilty of recklessly endangering the safety of an aircraft [read more]

Piper Malibu N264DB was owned by Fay Keely's family trust (Image: AAIB)
Aviation safety news

Sala plane crash pilot was told NOT to fly plane

Fay Keely, one of the owners of the Piper Malibu N264DB, has told Cardiff Crown Court that she told David Henderson that pilot David Ibbotson should not fly her aircraft. She made the decision after being informed of multiple airspace restriction infringements by Ibbotson in her aircraft. Ms Keely was [read more]

Wreckage of N264DB
Aviation safety news

AAIB says body visible in Sala plane wreckage

The Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) has confirmed that one body is visible in the wreckage of the Piper Malibu N264DB that was found on the seabed near the channel islands yesterday. The plane went missing on Monday 21st January with pilot David Ibbotson and Premier League Footballer, Emiliano Sala [read more]