WATCH: Several causes for fatal plane crash identified in final report
A SERIES of safety recommendations have been made in the final report into the fatal crash that killed footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson, which was released this afternoon.
Argentinian striker Sala, 28, was flying from Nantes in France to Cardiff after signing for Cardiff City, when the Piper Malibu aircraft that was carrying him plunged into the sea north of Guernsey on 21 January 2019.
After a long search the plane wreckage was found and Sala's body was recovered. But the body of Mr Ibbotson was never found and the plane wreckage has since been swept away.
Interim reports published by the AAIB found that Mr Ibbotson was not licensed to conduct commercial flights and that Sala was exposed to harmful levels of carbon monoxide before he died.
The final report identified several causes for the crash. It is believed that the pilot lost control of the aircraft during a manually-flown turn, which was probably initiated to remain in or regain visual meteorological conditions. The aircraft then suffered an in-flight break-up while manoeuvring at an airspeed significantly in excess of its design manoeuvring speed. The report also noted that the pilot was probably affected by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
Air Accidents Investigation Branch chief investigator of air accidents, Crispin Orr, said their thoughts were with the families of Mr Sala and Mr Ibbotson.
'A team of highly experienced investigators has been working to examine all aspects of the flight in order to understand the factors which may have caused or contributed to the accident,' he said.
'Today we have made important safety recommendations which, if fully implemented, would significantly reduce the risk of a recurrence.
Five safety recommendations were made in the report, concerning the carriage of CO detectors, additional in-service inspections of exhaust systems and the maintenance of flight crew licensing records.
There was no CO detector with an active warning system in the plane when it crashed
'Routine maintenance is vital but cannot eliminate the risk of carbon monoxide leaks completely,' Mr Orr said.
'Equipping aircraft with devices that provide warning of the presence of this odourless, colourless and lethal gas, would enable pilots to take potentially lifesaving action. We are therefore calling for the regulators to make it mandatory for piston engine aircraft, such as the one involved in this accident, to carry an active CO warning device.
'The chartering of aircraft that are not licensed for commercial transport – so called ‘grey charters’ – is putting lives at risk. We welcome the Civil Aviation Authority’s efforts to stop this practice through their ‘Legal to Fly’ campaign and other interventions.'
