Sala plane crash: Body recovered by air investigators
A BODY has been recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft that came down off Alderney two weeks ago, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch confirmed late last night.
Pilot David Ibbotson and Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala were aboard when the plane came down.
The AAIB spokesperson said the body had now been taken to Portland, where it will be passed to the Dorset coroner. The body's identity has not been confirmed.
'In challenging conditions the AAIB and its specialist contractors successfully recovered the body previously seen amidst the wreckage,' the spokesperson said.
'The operation was carried out in as dignified a way as possible and the families were kept well informed of the progress.'
Attempts to recover aircraft wreckage were unsuccessful, as bad weather blew in, forcing the remotely operated vehicle to return to the surface. However, extensive video recordings were taken and will be used as part of the AAIB investigation.
'Although it was not possible to recover the aircraft, the extensive video record captured by the ROV is expected to provide valuable evidence for our safety investigation.
Winds of up to 54mph were forecast for the seas off Alderney last night.
An interim report on the incident is expected within a few weeks.