Sala and Ibbotson aircraft will not be recovered AAIB have said
THE aircraft which carried Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson will not be recovered despite new evidence of a toxic gas in the cabin.
A further statement released today [Wednesday] from Air Accidents Investigation Branch has said that despite evidence of carbon monoxide being present in the cabin and cock pit of the aircraft, it will not be recovered from the seabed.
An AAIB spokesperson said the reasons behind their decision had been explained in detail to both families concerned.
'In February our underwater search operation successfully located the wreckage, recovered the passenger’s body and captured substantial video evidence from the scene using a remotely operated vehicle.
'It was not possible at the time to recover the wreckage. We have carefully considered the feasibility and merits of returning to attempt to recover the wreckage. In this case, we consider that it will not add significantly to the investigation and we will identify the correct safety issues through other means.
'In making our decision, we took into account the high cost of underwater recovery, the evidence we collected in February and the risk that, after a violent impact with the sea, the wreckage would not yield definitive evidence,' the spokesperson said.
The news comes after AAIB released a special statement earlier today [Wednesday] which said that blood tests on the body of Mr Sala had revealed that he, and most likely also Mr Ibbotson, would have experienced effects of carbon monoxide poisoning before the aircraft accident occurred.
