Businessman who organised flight that crashed and killed Sala jailed for 18 months

Henderson was accused of failing to follow safety protocols that caused the death of Sala and pilot David Ibbotson when their plane crashed into the English Channel on a flight from Nantes to Cardiff in January 2019.

Published : Nov 12, 2021 18:49 IST

General view of tributes left outside the Stade de la Beaujoire for Emiliano Sala, January 30, 2019.
General view of tributes left outside the Stade de la Beaujoire for Emiliano Sala, January 30, 2019.
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General view of tributes left outside the Stade de la Beaujoire for Emiliano Sala, January 30, 2019.

David Henderson, the businessman who organised the flight that crashed and led to the death of football player Emiliano Sala, was on Friday sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Cardiff Crown Court, local media reported.

Henderson, 67, was accused of failing to follow safety protocols that caused the death of 28-year-old Argentine Sala and pilot David Ibbotson when their plane crashed into the English Channel on a flight from Nantes to Cardiff in January 2019.

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Last month, he was found guilty by the court of endangering the safety of the aircraft.

The body of Sala, who had signed for Cardiff City in a 15 million-pounds ($20.10 million) transfer only days earlier, was found a month later, while Ibbotson's has still not been recovered.

The trial heard that Ibbotson, who regularly flew for Henderson, did not hold a commercial pilot's licence or qualification to fly at night.

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