A 66-year-old man appeared in court on suspicion of being connected to the plane crash that led to the death of Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson in January 2019.
Emiliano Sala Death Will Undergo Inquest in Court
Full Inquest Adjourned
David Henderson, from York, pleaded not guilty to the offences he was charged with under the Air Navigation Order, at a pre-inquest hearing in September.
Per BBC News, the full inquest, which will take place at Bournemouth Coroner’s Court, has been adjourned to 2022. Senior coroner for Dorset Rachel Griffin said an adjournment was necessary “in the interests of justice”.
Mr. Henderson was said to have arranged Sala’s flight from Nantes to Cardiff, after he signed for the Bluebirds on 19 January, 2019 for a club record £15 million.
The Piper Malibu aircraft which was carrying Sala subsequently lost contact with air traffic control near Alderney in the Channel Islands.
Representing the Civil Aviation Authority, Keith Morton QC stated that Mr. Henderson had been charged for acting recklessly in a way that was likely to endanger flights. He was also charged with commercial operation of the aircraft, despite not being given the required permission to do so.
Having completed his medical on 19 January, 2019, Sala returned to Nantes from Cardiff on the same day, on a plane arranged by agent Mark McKay.
On 21 January, 2019, the plane carrying Sala crashed. It then took two weeks for his body to be discovered on 8 February by a private research team.
When questioned over the reason for an adjournment in the case connected to Sala’s death, Mrs. Griffin stated: “I am required to establish the full facts of the circumstances of Emiliano’s death.
“This will be determined by a jury and there needs to be a clear understanding of every aspect of the circumstances.
“In the interests of justice it’s important to await the conclusion of that prosecution.”
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