January 2019 is firmly etched in the memory of the sports world. The tragic death of the Argentinian footballer, Emiliano Sala, would shake the foundations of football.
When almost 3 years have passed since this tragedy, new details about the death of the Argentinian football player are still emerging.
“BBC” has published an audio of the pilot of the plane that crashed into the English Channel the day before the event, where he claims that the aircraft was suspicious. David Ibbotson is heard on audio saying he will wear a life jacket on the journey from France to Wales.
The pilot told a friend that he heard a noise during the flight to Nantes, before the next flight that ended in tragedy.
“BBC” also posted the last moments where the pilot and Sala were seen alive. Sala had just become a Cardiff player before the event. In the phone conversation, Ibbotson explains the technical problems to his friend.
“I was flying and then ‘boom’. I wondered what I could have done wrong. So I checked all the parameters and everything was fine and I was flying, but it was one of those things that caught your attention”, says the pilot.
The 59-year-old said that even the left brake pedal did not work when he landed at the Nantes airport. “This plane needs to be taken to the hangar,” he says. We remember that even Sala himself sent messages during the trip. He told close friends that the plane looked like it was falling apart. “I don’t know if anyone will look for me because they won’t be able to find me,” said Sala.
The Argentine footballer did not know that Ibbotson was not eligible. He was an amateur pilot and did not have a license to carry paying passengers or to fly in the dark.