Emiliano Sala's Flight organiser sentenced to 18 months in prison

The Cardiff Crown Court found David Henderson guilty of crashing Emiliano Sala's plane and sentenced him to 18 months in prison.

The plane carrying Sala crashed in the English Channel on January 21, 2019, killing the 28-year-old forward and pilot David Ibbotson. Sala, who had reached an agreement with Cardiff City, was on his way to Wales to sign a contract.

Mr. Henderson, a former RAF officer, coordinated the flight with William Willy McKay, Salah's agent. He had asked the pilot to take the flight while he was on holiday in Paris with his wife.

Mr. Ibbotson, who flew Henderson flights, did not have a commercial pilot license and a night flight license, and his single-engine pilot's license had expired. Hours after the crash, Henderson texted several people, threatening to silence them. He admitted in court that he feared this would hurt his business.

Sala's family lawyer welcomed Mr Henderson's confession and expressed hope that such illegal flights would no longer be prevented. He said:

"The actions of David Henderson are only one piece in the puzzle of how the plane David Ibbotson was illegally flying came to crash into the sea on 21 January 2019."

"We still do not know the key information about the maintenance history of the aircraft and all the factors behind the carbon monoxide poisoning revealed in August 2019."

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