David Ibbotson wasn’t licensed to fly the aircraft carrying the prior Nantes footballer that went down over the English channel this past year.
The pilot of the plane crash that killed footballer Emiliano Sala, David Ibbotson, didn’t possess the necessary licenses or permissions to fly.
Both men died when the Piper Malibu light aircraft went down on January 21, 2019, as Sala flew from French outfit Nantes to his new club Cardiff City at Wales after finishing a #15 million ($19m) transfer.
The entire body of Argentine forward Sala, 28, was recovered from the wreckage, but the entire body of 59-year-old Mr. Ibbotson was not discovered.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch published an official report on Friday that concluded that the airplane hit the sea near Guernsey in an estimated 270 miles (434kph).
Researchers believe Mr. Ibbotson and Sala both suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning on the flight, which was probably caused by a fault in the exhaust tailpipe.
The pilot pulled up to avoid adverse weather conditions and the aircraft broke up as he tried to regain control, before descending into a dip and entering the water upside down.
It would have been impossible for man to have survived the crash, such was the force of effect after the left wing of the aircraft came away on the way down.
Primary Inspector Brian McDermid said of the accident: “The aircraft was extensively damaged and the wreckage was in three parts, held together by electric and flying control wires.
“The motor had disconnected from the cockpit area, and the back section of the fuselage had broken away in the forward section.
“The cockpit area and instrument panel were badly disrupted, such that it wouldn’t have been possible with any assurance to ascertain the position of switches and controls before the crash.”
The AAIB report found that Mr. Ibbotson possessed a private pilot’s license, but it didn’t allow him to receive payment for carrying passengers.
He’d also not finished night-flying training, and the Piper Malibu shouldn’t have been flown commercially because of regulations it was worked under.
Mr. Ibbotson was colourblind and his SEP evaluation had died three months prior to the crash, which permitted him to fly a single-engine piston airplane.
Sala was Cardiff City’s record signing and was expected to take on a new challenge from the Premier League after spending four years in Nantes.
He scored 42 goals in 120 matches for Ligue 1 club, who published a special commemorative shirt in honor of the striker in January.
