Businessman who organised fatal flight for footballer Emiliano Sala found guilty of endangering safety of an aircraft
7111 Min Read
David Henderson, the businessman who organised the flight that crashed, killing footballer Emiliano Sala, has been found guilty at Cardiff Crown Court of endangering the safety of an aircraft.
Sala, 28, and pilot David Ibbotson, 59, died in the crash in the English Channel in January 2019.
David Henderson, 67, of Hotham, East Riding of Yorkshire, was found guilty after a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.
He had also previously admitted trying to arrange a flight for a passenger without permission or authorisation.
Henderson will be sentenced on 12 November.
Argentine striker Sala and Mr Ibbotson died after their single-engine Piper Malibu plunged into the English Channel on a flight between Cardiff and Nantes in January 2019, set up by Henderson with football agent William “Willie” McKay.
The footballer was involved in a £15m transfer to Cardiff City from Nantes and was travelling between the two cities at the time of his death.
Photo – File photo of tributes to Argentine soccer player Emiliano Sala of FC Nantes in La Joneliere, Nantes, France, 24 January 2019. Sala was exposed to carbon monoxide on board before a fatal light plane crash while travelling to Cardiff from Nantes on 21 January 2019. EPA-EFE/EDDY LEMAISTRE
