Pilot will stand trial over fatal plane crash
NOT GUILTY PLEA TO ENDANGERING SAFETY
AN East Yorkshire pilot will stand trial next year after being charged with offences relating to a plane crash that killed David Ibbotson and Emiliano Sala.
David Henderson, 66, of Hotham, East Yorkshire, has pleaded not guilty to endangering the safety of an aircraft and attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation.
Footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson were killed when the Piper Malibu PA-46 they were flying in plunged into the English Channel on January 21 last year.
The body of 28-year-old Sala was found in February 2019. A postmortem examination showed he
had been exposed to deadly levels of carbon monoxide poisoning during the flight.
Mr Ibbotson’s been recovered.
It later emerged was not qualified to body has
the fly at never
pilot night or carry commercial passengers.
David Henderson was charged with the offences after The Civil Aviation Authority brought the prosecution against him for allegedly acting in a “reckless and negligent” manner under the Air Navigation Order.
He appeared at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday via video link.
He was granted bail and will stand trial in October 2021.
Richard Stephenson, director at the Civil Aviation Authority, said: “The UK Civil Aviation Authority has commenced a prosecution of David Henderson for offences associated with the fatal light aircraft accident over the English Channel in January 2019.
“The charges are: On January 18 and 19, 2019, acted in a reckless/ negligent manner likely to endanger N264DB (Articles 240, 256 and Part 4 of Schedule 13 of the Air Navigation Order 2016).
“On January 21, 2019, attempted to cause N264DB to discharge a passenger in the UK (Section 1(1) of the Criminal Attempts Act 1981, Articles 250, 256 and Part 3 of Schedule 13 of the Air Navigation Order 2016).
“It will be inappropriate for the CAA to say anything further until the case is concluded.”
An inquest into Sala’s death has been adjourned until December this year.