Emiliano Sala: Timeline of events leading to plane crash tragedy

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Here is a timeline of events leading up to the death of footballer Emiliano Sala in a plane crash in the English Channel.

– August 2015: The Piper Malibu aircraft is purchased by Southern Aircraft Consultancy, a company that specialises in organising the ownership of aircraft into trusts. The trust is Cool Flourish Ltd, a family company of which Fay Keely is the director and secretary.

Ms Keely asks David Henderson, a friend of her late father, to deal with the day-to-day management of the plane.

The aircraft is hired out by Mr Henderson on 34 occasions between October 2015 and January 2019.

– June 2018: David Ibbotson, who holds a private pilot’s licence, begins flying the aircraft commercially for Mr Henderson.

– July 6 2018: Ms Keely receives two airspace infringements for times when Mr Ibbotson was the pilot. She asks Mr Henderson not to use Mr Ibbotson again.

– August 5 2018: Mr Ibbotson flies the aircraft again.

– November 30 2018: The last annual maintenance inspection is carried out, including checks on the exhaust system.

Cardiff City FC begin negotiations to sign Emiliano Sala from Nantes FC.

– January 8 2019: Representatives from Cardiff City, including then-manager Neil Warnock, fly to Nantes to watch Sala play. Media reports suggest the player does not want to join Cardiff City.

– January 18 2019: Sala travels to Cardiff and undergoes a medical as part of his £15 million transfer. He wishes to return to Nantes for a few days to say goodbye to teammates.

Football agent Willie McKay, who is involved in the transfer, contacts Mr Henderson to organise return flights from Cardiff to Nantes.

– January 19 2019: The outward flight from Cardiff to Nantes is flown by Mr Ibbotson with Sala as a passenger.

2.05pm: The plane lands at Nantes and Mr Ibbotson indicates to Mr Henderson that he has encountered difficulties with the aircraft and reports hearing a “bang”, which he also described as a “boom”.

Mr Henderson speaks with David Smith, an aircraft engineer with Eastern Air Executive, and then speaks again to Mr Ibbotson. A French mechanic inspects the brakes but not the exhaust system.

– January 21 2019: The return flight, which was scheduled for 9am, is pushed back to 7pm.

8.12pm: The last radio contact is made with Jersey air traffic control.

8.16pm: The Piper Malibu crashes into the English Channel near Guernsey.

– February 3 2019: The wreckage of the plane is found.

– February 6 2019: Sala’s body is recovered but there is no trace of Mr Ibbotson.

– October 18 2021: David Henderson goes on trial at Cardiff Crown Court accused of endangering the safety of an aircraft in relation to the fatal flight. He has already admitted a charge of attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation.

– October 28 2021: A jury convicts Henderson of the single charge he faces.

– November 12 2021: A judge jails Henderson for 18 months.

– February 15 2022: An inquest into Sala’s death resumes at Dorset Coroner’s Court in Bournemouth.

– March 17: A jury finds Sala died from head and trunk injuries when the unlicenced flight he was a passenger in crashed into the English Channel.