The pilot of Sala’s death flight knew about the machine’s problems

Status: 3:14 p.m| Reading time: 2 minutes

Dhe pilot of Argentinian soccer professional Emiliano Sala, who died in a private plane crash three years ago, was aware of the machine’s deficiencies. This emerges from a recorded phone call that the British broadcaster BBC published on Wednesday.

In it, the pilot David Ibbotson, who also died in the accident over the English Channel, spoke about significant defects in the plane the day before the accident. Among other things, he said that he heard a loud bang on the outward flight. “This plane belongs back in the hangar,” he said. He usually keeps his life jacket between the seats, but this time he’ll put it on right away, Ibbotson said.

The pilot is said to have had neither a license for commercial flights nor for night flights. The businessman who had organized the flight with the single-engine aircraft has therefore already been sentenced to 18 months in prison for endangering the safety of an aircraft.

Sala was on his way from Nantes, France, to Cardiff, where he was expected after a transfer from FC Nantes for the first training session with his new club, English second division side Cardiff City. He had opted for the charter flight to have more time to say goodbye to fellow players and friends. Only at the end of August was a legal dispute between the two clubs before the International Sports Court in Lausanne decided on the transfer fee. Cardiff must therefore pay the first installment of six million euros.