Emiliano Sala died in a plane crash after inhaling toxic levels of carbon monoxide from the plane's faulty exhaust system during a flight without license in 2019, an investigative jury ruled on Thursday. The 28-year-old Argentine footballer and 59-year-old pilot David Ibbotson died when the single-engine Piper Malibu plane they were travelling on crashed in the English Channel en route from Nantes, northwestern France, to Cardiff.
The striker had signed for Cardiff City, which was then in the Premier League, for a club record of £15 million ($19 million) from Nantes.
David Henderson, 67, who organized the flight, was sentenced after a criminal trial last November to 18 months in prison for hiring a pilot who knew that he was not qualified and because he was carrying a passenger without valid authorization.
A forensic investigation, conducted in England and Wales to try to establish the causes and circumstances of sudden or unexplained deaths based on the probability balance, was opened separately to determine the cause of death. After five weeks of hearings, a jury of a forensic court in Dorset, in the south of England, concluded that the footballer died of head and chest injuries.
“Emiliano died instantly from fatal head and trunk injuries due to the crash of a high-energy plane. It is likely that Emiliano was deeply unconscious due to carbon monoxide poisoning in the time of the accident,” said the jury.
The lawyers for Sala's family said they “appreciate the detailed investigation and diligent questioning of the jury.” “This investigation has exposed the complex events that led to Emiliano's untimely death. It has shed light on many of the missed opportunities in the world of football and aviation to prevent his tragic death,” said lawyer Daniel Machover.
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With information from AFP
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