Sala crash: interim air accident report released
AN INVESTIGATION into the plane crash which killed footballer Emiliano Sala will focus on the validity of the pilot's licence.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) named "regulatory requirements" as one of four areas in which further work will be carried out.
Its interim report noted that the type of licence held by the pilot, David Ibbotson, meant he could only fly passengers in the European Union on a cost sharing basis, rather than for commercial flights.
Mr Ibbotson is still missing.
The report also identified the need for further work on regulatory requirements surrounding the flight.
These include 'airworthiness requirements, aircraft permissions and flight crew licensing', the AAIB report said.
There will also be more work to analyse the radar information to try to understand the last few minutes of the flight, and assess 'the possible implications of the weather conditions in the area at the time of the accident'.
And there will be more analysis of video from the remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) 'to determine the aircraft attitude as it entered the water'.
The remit of the AAIB, which is a branch of the Department for Transport, is to conduct safety investigations into the cause of aviation accidents without apportioning blame or liability.
Argentine footballer Sala had just signed for Cardiff City from French club Nantes for £15m. when the plane crashed into the English Channel on 21 January.
