Footballer Sala’s flight organiser jailed for 18 months

CARDIFF: The businessman who organised the 2019 flight that crashed in the Channel, killing Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala, was on Friday jailed for 18 months for flouting safety rules.

David Henderson, 67, was last month convicted by a jury in Cardiff for endangering the safety of an aircrat over the death of the 28-year-old striker.

He will also concurrently serve a three-month sentence for atempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation.

Henderson -- a former Royal Air Force officer -- had already admited that charge, which typically concerns a business operator failing to acquire the appropriate licences to hire a plane commercially.

The single-engine Piper Malibu plane carrying Sala from France to join Cardiff crashed into the sea near the Channel island of Guernsey on January 21, 2019, killing him and pilot David Ibbotson, 59.

Ibbotson, who regularly flew for Henderson, did not hold a commercial pilot’s licence or a qualification to fly at night and his rating to fly the aircrat had expired.

Judge David Foxton said Henderson organised the flight without the correct certificate and necessary safety systems to comply with UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) requirements.

“The lack of certificate was not a mere piece of paper. Air safety regulations and systems are designed to give effect to them and are writen in blood,” Foxton said.

“You were aware your aircrat operations were unlawful and took steps to make sure the operation was off the radar.

“This was illustrated by your message to Mr Ibbotson, which read: ‘ We both have the opportunity to make money out of the business model but not if we upset clients or draw the atention of the CAA’.”

Sala had signed for the Welsh oufit, who were then in the Premier League, for a club-record £15 million (18 million euros, $20 million) from French Ligue 1 side Nantes.

He was one of the French league’s top scorers before his death, neting 12 goals in 19 games in the 2018/19 season.

His impressive form prompted Cardiff manager Neil Warnock to sign him in the 2019 January transfer window to aid the Bluebirds’ ultimately unsuccessful batle against relegation.