Emiliano Sala: Timeline of events leading to plane crash tragedy

The Cardiff City footballer was killed in a plane crash in 2019 as he returned to Wales after saying goodbye to former team-mates at Nantes in France.
Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala was killed in a plane crash in January 2019 as he returned to Wales after saying goodbye to former team-mates in France (Jacob King/PA)
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Rod Minchin17 March 2022

Here is a timeline of events leading up to the death of footballer Emiliano Sala in a plane crash in the English Channel.

– August 2015: The Piper Malibu aircraft is purchased by Southern Aircraft Consultancy, a company that specialises in organising the ownership of aircraft into trusts. The trust is Cool Flourish Ltd, a family company of which Fay Keely is the director and secretary.

The Piper Malibu aircraft, N264DB, crashed into the English Channel in January 2019, killing footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson (Air Accidents Investigation Branch/PA)
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Ms Keely asks David Henderson, a friend of her late father, to deal with the day-to-day management of the plane.

The aircraft is hired out by Mr Henderson on 34 occasions between October 2015 and January 2019.

– June 2018: David Ibbotson, who holds a private pilot’s licence, begins flying the aircraft commercially for Mr Henderson.

– July 6 2018: Ms Keely receives two airspace infringements for times when Mr Ibbotson was the pilot. She asks Mr Henderson not to use Mr Ibbotson again.

– August 5 2018: Mr Ibbotson flies the aircraft again.

– November 30 2018: The last annual maintenance inspection is carried out, including checks on the exhaust system.

Cardiff City FC begin negotiations to sign Emiliano Sala from Nantes FC.

– January 8 2019: Representatives from Cardiff City, including then-manager Neil Warnock, fly to Nantes to watch Sala play. Media reports suggest the player does not want to join Cardiff City.

– January 18 2019: Sala travels to Cardiff and undergoes a medical as part of his £15 million transfer. He wishes to return to Nantes for a few days to say goodbye to teammates.

Emiliano Sala had joined Cardiff City in a £15m transfer but died before making his debut for the club (Mark Kerton/PA)
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Football agent Willie McKay, who is involved in the transfer, contacts Mr Henderson to organise return flights from Cardiff to Nantes.

– January 19 2019: The outward flight from Cardiff to Nantes is flown by Mr Ibbotson with Sala as a passenger.

2.05pm: The plane lands at Nantes and Mr Ibbotson indicates to Mr Henderson that he has encountered difficulties with the aircraft and reports hearing a “bang”, which he also described as a “boom”.

Mr Henderson speaks with David Smith, an aircraft engineer with Eastern Air Executive, and then speaks again to Mr Ibbotson. A French mechanic inspects the brakes but not the exhaust system.

– January 21 2019: The return flight, which was scheduled for 9am, is pushed back to 7pm.

8.12pm: The last radio contact is made with Jersey air traffic control.

8.16pm: The Piper Malibu crashes into the English Channel near Guernsey.

– February 3 2019: The wreckage of the plane is found.

– February 6 2019: Sala’s body is recovered but there is no trace of Mr Ibbotson.

David Henderson was jailed for health and safety offences after organising the flight for Emiliano Sala (Jacob King/PA)
PA Wire

– October 18 2021: David Henderson goes on trial at Cardiff Crown Court accused of endangering the safety of an aircraft in relation to the fatal flight. He has already admitted a charge of attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation.

– October 28 2021: A jury convicts Henderson of the single charge he faces.

– November 12 2021: A judge jails Henderson for 18 months.

– February 15 2022: An inquest into Sala’s death resumes at Dorset Coroner’s Court in Bournemouth.

– March 17: A jury finds Sala died from head and trunk injuries when the unlicenced flight he was a passenger in crashed into the English Channel.

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