Soccer player Emiliano Sala was defeated by toxic levels of carbon monoxide during an unlicensed commercial flight and died as a result of a plane crash, the jury concluded.
The Argentine-born striker died of a head and chest injury, but was deeply unconscious, poisoned by smoke from the plane’s defective exhaust system.
A jury trial at Bournemouth City Hall found that Sarah was a passenger on a private plane and was being flown by a pilot who did not have the correct authority to fly at night. The pilot collapsed when he collided with the sea.
A 28-year-old player boarded Piper Malibu flying from Nantes, France to Wales on the night of January 21, 2019, crashed in the English Channel near Guernsey, and killed pilot David Ibotson, 59. did. Found.
Sarah participated in the then Premier League club Cardiff City with a £ 15m transfer from French League 1 Nantes, which involved football agent Willy McKay.
Pathologist Dr. Basil Padu said Sarah had been defeated by “severe addiction” and was “totally unconscious” before the crash of the single-engine aircraft.
Dr. Padu said Sarah was still alive at the time of the shock and died of severe head and chest injuries.
Engineering experts said the most likely cause of carbon monoxide buildup in the cabin was a malfunction in the exhaust system of the plane.
David Henderson will arrive at Cardiff Crown Court on October 18, 2021. (Jacob King / PA)Pilot and businessman David Henderson, 67, managed the aircraft and arranged flights, pilots, and maintenance on behalf of the owner, even though he was not a legally registered operator.
The longtime client was McKay. McKay helped his son Mark’s company represent Nantes during the transfer.
McKay, who was forbidden to act as a transfer agent because he was an undismissed bankrupt at the time, arranged a round-trip flight to Nantes after Sarah finished medical care at Cardiff. Did.
He said he just wanted to help Sarah go home and claimed that Cardiff City had “thrown away” him.
McKay deliberately arranges an illegal “gray” flight (a private charter carrying paid passengers) because Henderson did not have an airline certificate (AOC) capable of flying paid passengers. I denied it.
The court heard that not only did he not have an AOC, but Henderson had no records or invoices about his business, or the qualifications of a pilot who flew for him.
Ibotson reported to Henderson that he heard a loud impact on the outbound route from Cardiff to Nantes, but did not ask an engineer to investigate when the plane landed in France.
He was banned from flying Piper Malibu by the owner after two violations of airspace a few months ago, but Henderson allowed him to continue.
Ibotson had a license as a private pilot, so he couldn’t fly passengers commercially and couldn’t fly at night.
Last year, Henderson was imprisoned for 18 months after being convicted of endangering the safety of an aircraft to use Ibotson’s services when he learned that he did not have an associated license. ..
He admitted further violations attempting to arrange flights for passengers with or without permission.
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