October 20, 2021 12.18 pm This story is over 29 months old

Man who organised Emiliano Sala flight hired ‘unqualified’ Lincolnshire pilot

Henderson sent a text warning “don’t say a word to anyone” about crash

By Local Democracy Reporter

The 67-year-old man who organised the flight that cost Lincolnshire pilot David Ibbotson and Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala their lives is currently on trial, with prosecutors saying he acted “recklessly and dangerously” to arrange it.

David Henderson, of East Riding in Yorkshire, is in court in relation to an incident in January 2019, which saw a plane piloted by Lincolnshire man David Ibbotson, 59, crash with Argentinian footballer Emiliano Sala on board.

The crash killed both men, and Cardiff Crown Court has heard how Ibbotson was unqualified to fly the plane. Despite this, Henderson asked him to fly Sala over to Cardiff to complete a record £15 million transfer from French club Nantes.

The trial, due to last two weeks, started on Tuesday, October 19, as Henderson pleaded guilty to attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation.

He did, however, deny the charge of endangering the safety of an aircraft after the Piper Malibu N264DB crashed north of Guernsey in January 2019.