Emiliano Sala crash: one body found on board as wreckage of plane's fuselage is discovered on sea bed

Megan White4 February 2019

One body has been found on board the wreckage of the plane which went down in the Channel carrying footballer Emiliano Sala.

The AAIB issued the first image of the plane on the seabed on Monday morning.

Investigators did not say whether the remains were those of the Cardiff City footballer or pilot David Ibbotson, 59.

The plane was found around 4.20pm on Sunday, according to a timestamp on the image.

The wreckage of Sala's plane underwater
AAIB

Emiliano Sala was travelling to Cardiff from Nantes on January 21 when the light aircraft he was in disappeared over the English Channel.

He had just been signed for £15 million by the Bluebirds and was travelling to his new home.

Emiliano Sala: His mother said he was enjoying 'the best moment of his career'

Marine explorer David Mearns, who led the search, tweeted on Sunday: "Wreckage of the plane carrying Emiliano Sala and piloted by David Ibbotson was located early this morning by the FPV MORVEN.

"As agreed with the AAIB they moved the Geo Ocean III over the position we provided them to visually identify the plane by ROV.

A map was also issued showing the location of the wreckage (AAIB/PA )
AAIB/PA

"The families of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson have been notified by Police. The AAIB will be making a statement tomorrow. Tonight our sole thoughts are with the families and friends of Emiliano and David."

A full report into the incident will be published within the next month.

A statement from the AAIB said: “The AAIB commissioned specialist vessel Geo Ocean III and Blue Water Recoveries Ltd commissioned FPV Morven and the search area was divided between the vessels.

“Both vessels began their search on the morning of Sunday 3 February.

Emiliano Sala - In pictures

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“Early in the search, the Morven identified an object of interest on the seabed using its side-scan sonar equipment.

“It cleared the immediate area for the Geo Ocean III to use its underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to survey the area of the seabed in which the object was located.

“Based on analysis of ROV video footage, the AAIB investigators on board the vessel concluded that the object is wreckage from the missing Piper Malibu aircraft, registration N264DB.

“The ROV carried out a further search of the area overnight, but did not identify any additional pieces of wreckage.

“Tragically, in video footage from the ROV, one occupant is visible amidst the wreckage.

“The AAIB is now considering the next steps, in consultation with the families of the pilot and passenger, and the police.”

Sala's father Horacio told of his "disbelief" after the wreckage was found, saying the incident was "a bad dream."He told local broadcaster Cronica TV: "I cannot believe it. This is a dream. A bad dream. I am desperate.

"I communicated with them every day, but since I do not have WhatsApp it's hard to call them or call me."

Wreckage from the plane had previously washed up on a beach in north west France, with two cushions found on the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy, around 60km from Guernsey.

Cardiff City and Nantes have both paid emotional tributes to the star since his disappearance, with fans leaving tributes outside both clubs' stadiums.

During the investigation, the AAIB are also set to inspect whether Mr Ibbotson had the correct license for the commerical flight.

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