BREAKING:ANSWERS & FINDINGS RELEASED REGARDING PLANE CRASH

BREAKING:ANSWERS & FINDINGS RELEASED REGARDING PLANE CRASH



Monday 24th February 2019


The plane carrying Emiliano Sala strayed from its planned route before breaking in to three pieces.



The outer wings and the tail were missing.


" THE FINAL MOMENTS "

The last radio contact with the aircraft was with Jersey Radar at 8.12pm, when the pilot asked for a further descent.

At about 8.15pm, N264DB started to make a gradual left turn, which was followed about a minute later by a significant right turn of approximately 180°.

During this turn, data from two independent radars (Guernsey and Jersey12) showed the aircraft descend from 3,900ft to an altitude of about 1,600 ft at an average rate of approximately 7,000 ft/min. This happened in around 20 seconds.

A few seconds later (at 2016:34 hrs) the final secondary radar return was recorded, which indicated that the aircraft may have climbed rapidly to about 2,300 ft.

Two more radar returns were recorded seconds later but their validity has not yet been established.









Plane wreck was found in three parts

The report details how the underwater search located the wreckage, which began on the morning of Sunday, February 3. The search was being conducted by two vessels, the Morven - the boat being used by the private search - and Geo Ocean III, the vessel the AAIB was using.

The report says:

“Early in the search, the FPV Morven identified an object of interest at a depth of approximately 68m and cleared the immediate area to allow the Geo Ocean III to launch its ROV and examine the object, which was identified as the missing aircraft. Figure 6 shows a side-scan sonar image taken from the Geo Ocean III. An initial survey of the scene using the camera on the ROV revealed that there was a body present, held in place by the wreckage.

“The body was recovered to the vessel in the early hours of 6 February 2019 but, despite a further search of the wreckage and surroundings, no evidence was found of the second occupant of the aircraft. Shortly afterwards, a deterioration of the weather and sea conditions meant that it was not possible to safely continue the operation or recover the wreckage.”


Underwater remotely operated vehicles examined the wreck, finding it “extensively damaged”. The report says the plane was found in three parts, held together by electrical and flying control cables.

The engine had disconnected from the cockpit area, and the rear section of the fuselage had broken away from the forward section adjacent to the trailing edge of the wing.





“The outboard section of both wings, tail plane and fin were missing.”

In the days following the accident, two seat cushions, an arm rest and possible skin from the fuselage washed up along the coast of the Cotentin Peninsula, France. A seat cushion also washed up in Bonne Nuit Bay on the north coast of Jersey.










Investigators release report:


Monday 25th February 2019


The report has been released by the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

A spokesman said:

The Special Bulletin includes validated factual information gathered in the early stages of our investigation. It also explains the aircraft permissions and pilot licencing requirements relevant to a US-registered aircraft carrying out a cross-border flight within Europe with a passenger on board.

We have gathered evidence from radar, weather reports, video of the aircraft on the seabed and interviews with witnesses. Some operational aspects are yet to be determined, such as the validity of the pilot’s licence and ratings.

Our priority now is to go through the evidence, much of which is extensive and complex, so we can piece together what happened between the aircraft being lost from radar and it coming to rest on the sea bed. This will help us understand the potential causes of the accident.

We continue to speak to the families of the pilot and passenger to keep them updated on the progress of our investigation. If any urgent safety issues arise during our investigation, we will issue a further Special Bulletin. When our investigation has concluded, we will publish a final report.

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Live updates here:



Plane was equipped with ice protection

Data from the UK Met Office indicated that the freezing level around the Channel Islands was between 3,000 ft and 4,000 ft above sea level. The aircraft was equipped with an ice protection system that allowed it to fly into known icing conditions.



Details of plane's flight plan

Ahead of the publication of the interim accident report at 2pm, further details have emerged about the plane’s flight plan and preparations.

Fox Sports journalist Christian Martin has shared an image of what appears to be a document relating to the plane’s flight plan.


The pilot also used Visual Flight Rules (VFR) instead of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), MailOnline reports.

Generally, in order for pilots to fly VFR, they cannot fly through clouds and in some types of airspace they have to be able to see the ground.

Under VFR, pilots are responsible for seeing other aircraft and avoiding collisions and it requires a minimum standard of weather conditions to be present to be allowed, known as visual meteorological conditions (VMC).

When the operation of an aircraft under VFR is not safe, because the visual cues outside the aircraft are obscured by weather, instrument flight rules (IFR) must be used instead.




Plane wreck was found in three parts

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'We are still hopeful that we are going to find him' - pilot David Ibbotson's daughter

A new, private search for pilot David Ibbotson is set to begin in the coming days, led by David Mearns: the man who located the wreckage of the plane he was flying.

It will involve a deep-sea search of the wreck, and coastal searches by helicopter.

Almost £250,000 has been raised to help fund a new search for Mr Ibbotson’s body. His family have previously spoken about how they won’t give up looking for him.

Speaking to Scunthorpe Live at the event, Mr Ibbotson’s daughter Danielle said: “It does give you the comfort that people are thinking of you and wanting to help you as much as possible, which is lovely.”

“It doesn’t matter who you are, people want to show their help and support.”

Speaking of the search, she said: “We don’t have dates at the moment. Everything will be going ahead, we just don’t have confirmed dates at the moment.

“We are over the moon because that was our main aim, to ensure we can do our best to try and find him, bring him home and lay him to rest.

“We are still hopeful that we are going to find him.”

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The evidence

Numerous images of the plane wreckage have been captured to help try and form a picture of what might have caused the aircraft to plunge into the English Channel. This has been done using underwater remotely operated vehicles, used at the crash site to gather as much information as possible.

As well as the physical evidence from the plane, interviews will be conducted with key people, including the owners of the plane and those who organised the flight.

It is not publicly known who owned the plane. Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc, a British-based Trustee firm who registered the aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the USA, previously confirmed they had given details of the real owners to the Air Accident Investigation Branch.

So the Pilot was flying under the wrong rules, VFR and not IFR???????????

So the Pilot was flying under the wrong rules, VFR and not IFR???????????

Yes

Aircraft not fitted with 'black box'

Pilot David Ibbtson used what is described as a flight planning and navigation software application installed on his portable tablet computer to map the route between Nantes and Cardiff, and file the VFR [Visual Flight Rules] flight plan.

This information had been uploaded to the pilot’s cloud account.

During flight, the tablet computer displays the aircraft position and planned route on a map, and records GPS-derived position information.

The pilot’s tablet computer was not found within the wreckage. The aircraft was not fitted with an accident-protected flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder and was not required to be.

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Pilot's licence not found

It is thought that the pilot’s licence and logbook were lost with the aircraft and so the ratings on his licences and their validity, and the extent of his recent flying, have not yet been determined.



Basis on which Sala was flying on plane 'yet to be established'

The report also confirms the plane was not allowed to be used for commercial operations without permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The report says: “At the time of writing there was no evidence that such permission had been sought or granted... The CAA advised the AAIB that they had no record of an application for permission to operate the aircraft commercially .
“The basis on which the passenger was being carried on N264DB has not yet been established but, previously, the pilot had carried passengers on the basis of ‘cost sharing’ “.

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A big investigation in to the Pilots licence and his health is also being done.





How exactly does cost sharing work?

Cost sharing allows a private pilot to carry passengers and for those passengers to contribute towards the actual cost of the flight. It brings benefits to private pilots who, by sharing the expense of their flying, can fly more than they might otherwise be able to, thereby increasing their level of experience.



A higher level of regulatory burden applies to commercial, compared with private flights (such as more stringent medical, licencing and airworthiness requirements), and the additional requirements increase the level of safety assurance. Therefore, although the UK, EU and US regulatory authorities allow cost sharing, they apply restrictions to it.

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This is set to run.

The outer wings and the tail were missing.

It shows some extensive wreckage of the aircraft, if it was ripped into 3 pieces. Hope Emiliano Sala didn't suffer too much pain. God rest his Soul.

So, it is all pointing to the Pilot who , as it shows, may not have been certified to fly VMC and/or IMC. And Looks like only held the PPL as opposed to the CPL, if he filed and intended the flight to be under VFR rules..

Full report




The final moments


The last radio contact with the aircraft was with Jersey Radar at 8.12pm, when the pilot asked for a further descent.

At about 8.15pm, N264DB started to make a gradual left turn, which was followed about a minute later by a significant right turn of approximately 180°.

During this turn, data from two independent radars (Guernsey and Jersey12) showed the aircraft descend from 3,900ft to an altitude of about 1,600 ft at an average rate of approximately 7,000 ft/min. This happened in around 20 seconds.

A few seconds later (at 2016:34 hrs) the final secondary radar return was recorded, which indicated that the aircraft may have climbed rapidly to about 2,300 ft.

Two more radar returns were recorded seconds later but their validity has not yet been established.

The wreckage of N264DB was later found on the seabed about 30 metres from the position of the last secondary radar point recorded by the radar at Guernsey.
The planned route and the tracking of the aircraft

The radar track of final section of flight, created from a combination of data from Jersey and Guernsey radars




The report says data from the UK Met Office indicated that the freezing level around the Channel Islands was between 3,000 ft and 4,000ft above sea level.

The light aircraft was equipped with an ice protection system that allowed it to fly into known icing conditions, investigators say. It was also fitted with “avionic equipment that allowed it to be flown safely at night in Instrument Meteorological Conditions”.

What are Visual Flight Rules?

Generally, in order for pilots to fly VFR, they cannot fly through clouds and in some types of airspace they have to be able to see the ground.
Under VFR, pilots are responsible for seeing other aircraft and avoiding collisions and it requires a minimum standard of weather conditions to be present to be allowed, known as visual meteorological conditions (VMC).

When the operation of an aircraft under VFR is not safe, because the visual cues outside the aircraft are obscured by weather, instrument flight rules (IFR) must be used instead.
The report says pilots must remain in Visual Meteorological Conditions to continue flight under Visual Flight Rules, the rules under which this flight was undertaken.

For this flight, the pilot was required to remain 1,500 m horizontally and 1,000 ft vertically clear of cloud, and have an in-flight visibility greater than 5,000m.



Flight plan mapped with tablet computer

Pilot David Ibbtson used what is described as a flight planning and navigation software application installed on his portable tablet computer to map the route between Nantes and Cardiff, and file the VFR [Visual Flight Rules] flight plan.

This information had been uploaded to the pilot’s cloud account.

During flight, the tablet computer displays the aircraft position and planned route on a map, and records GPS-derived position information.

The pilot’s tablet computer was not found within the wreckage. The aircraft was not fitted with an accident-protected flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder and was not required to be.

However, the aircraft was equipped with an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) with a three-position switch: on, off, armed.
When selected to armed the ELT would automatically start to transmit when it detected an impact. But transmissions cannot be detected underwater.

The aircraft was also equipped with life jackets for each occupant and a six-man life raft, kept in the rear baggage compartment and accessible from the cabin.

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Airworthiness certificate dated in 1984

The plane was manufactured in 1984, and by November 30, 2018, the airframe had flown 6,636 hours and the engine had operated for 1,195 hours since overhaul.

The Certificate of Registration was issued on September 11, 2015, and had an expiry date of September 30, 2021.

The Airworthiness Certificate was dated as April 27, 1984. This certificate remains valid if aircraft maintenance is performed in accordance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

Investigators say the last significant maintenance was an Annual / 100-hour maintenance that was completed on November, 30, 2018. The Certificate of Release to Service was signed by the holder of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector Authorization (IA).



Wreckage found 30 metres from point of last contact

Pilot David Ibbotson flew Sala on the Piper PA-46 Malibu from Cardiff Airport to Nantes on Saturday, January 19, before the scheduled return flight two days later on Monday, January 21. Cardiff City signing Sala had returned to Nantes to say farewell to his teammates before being due to link up with Cardiff City on the morning of January 22, the day after the flight was due to land in Cardiff.

The report details how Mr Ibbotson arrived at Nantes Airport at 12.45pm on the day of the scheduled return, to refuel and prepare the aircraft for flying. Sala arrived at airport security at 6.36pm and the plane taxied out for departure at 7.06pm, taking off at 7.15pm.

The planned route would take the aircraft on an almost direct track from Nantes to Cardiff, flying overhead Guernsey en route.

The Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flight plan indicated a cruise altitude of 6,000 ft above sea level and a distance of 265 nautical miles.
After taking off, air traffic control grand clearance to climb to 5,500ft. The climb was approved by Nantes Approach Control and the flight plan was activated.

When the aircraft was around 20 nautical miles south of Jersey, the pilot was transferred to the Jersey Control frequency.

On initial contact with Jersey ATC, the aircraft was cleared to enter controlled airspace and maintain FL55: equivalent to 5,500 ft based on the standard pressure setting.
On reaching a location 13 nautical miles south of Guernsey, the pilot requested and was given a descent to remain in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC). This was cleared, with the plane beginning to descend while also making a right turn followed by a left turn. When asked by the controller if a further descent was required, Mr Ibbotson said: “Negative, just avoided a patch there, but back on heading five thousand feet”.
Last contact

In what was the last contact with the aircraft, at 8.12pm, the pilot requested a further descent to maintain VMC., and it was cleared to descend at the pilot’s discretion.
The report says: “The pilot was given the Jersey QNH [atmospheric pressure adjusted to mean sea level], which was 1017 hPa. The pilot acknowledged, and this was the last radio communication received from N264DB. “










The plane on the ground at Nantes prior to the flight

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I’ve seen a photo on-line which claims to be that of Emiliano Sala’s body in a morgue. The picture shows that the person was decapitated so, if indeed it is Sala, then his death was instantaneous. The tattoo on the upper right arm appears identical to Emiliano’s so I guess it’s genuine. I won’t post the picture here for obvious reasons and the website contains extremely graphic material but if you want the details of the site then PM me

I’ve seen a photo on-line which claims to be that of Emiliano Sala’s body in a morgue. The picture shows that the person was decapitated so, if indeed it is Sala, then his death was instantaneous. The tattoo on the upper right arm appears identical to Emiliano’s so I guess it’s genuine. I won’t post the picture here for obvious reasons and the website contains extremely graphic material but if you want the details of the site then PM me

I saw the same

Looking at the report the plane dived, pulled up, dived and rolled in the minutes before the crash losing, then gaining 1000 ft then dropping 5000ft (figure 10 of the full report)

He looks like he went to turn back, recovered and decided to press on, then shortly afterwards realising he was in deep trouble and turning back again but all too late. There'll be a clear emphasis on his lack of experience and extra responsibilities that come with flying commercially. You can take a risk with your own life but he shouldn't have put others at risk. Doesn't matter whether your footballer or not.


I hope he's still in the wreckage so that he can be recovered and give the family closure.

Let them rest in peace, you can see the impact of the crash, the plane still needs to recovered if you ask me, and the ploit is found ASAP.

This could have been alive today , but errors were made on the day Both of them today should be alive today but it's a cruel life This story just breaks my heart I think about it every day. So upsetting.

Plane was equipped with ice protection

Data from the UK Met Office indicated that the freezing level around the Channel Islands was between 3,000 ft and 4,000 ft above sea level. The aircraft was equipped with an ice protection system that allowed it to fly into known icing conditions.

The areas investigators will now focus on

After gathering evidence from radar, weather reports, video of the aircraft on the seabed and interviews with witnesses, some operational aspects of the investigation are yet to be determined - like the validity of the pilot’s licence.

Investigators continue to examine “all pertinent operational, technical, organisational and human factors which might have contributed to the accident”.




In particular, they will now focus on:

Refining the analysis of the radar information to try and understand the last few minutes of the flight,

Assessing the possible implications of the weather conditions in the area at the time of the accident,


Considering the regulatory requirements surrounding the flight, including airworthiness requirements, aircraft permissions and flight crew licencing.
A final report into the accident could well take 12 months to be published, from the date of the accident.

Sky News Just announced:

The wreckage will Never be brought up, it will remain where it is,the exact cause will never be known as there was No black box, but it did not have to be.

They say they have enough information to get most of what really happened.

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Sky News Just announced:

The wreckage will Never be brought up, it will remain where it is,the exact cause will never be known as there was No black box, but it did not have to be.

They say they have enough information to get most of what really happened.

The fact the report states that the plane is in several parts and only held together by electrical cables and fly by wire cables shows how hard it would be to raise it, they would lose vital parts and as stated no black box so really no point. Only down side is the theory of Dave Ibbotson being pulled down in the back wash and trapped underneath the plane will never be proved/disproved unless his body turns up elsewhere

Sky News Just announced:

The wreckage will Never be brought up, it will remain where it is,the exact cause will never be known as there was No black box, but it did not have to be.

They say they have enough information to get most of what really happened.

The fact the report states that the plane is in several parts and only held together by electrical cables and fly by wire cables shows how hard it would be to raise it, they would lose vital parts and as stated no black box so really no point. Only down side is the theory of Dave Ibbotson being pulled down in the back wash and trapped underneath the plane will never be proved/disproved unless his body turns up elsewhere

Totally agree with you

Sky News Just announced:

The wreckage will Never be brought up, it will remain where it is,the exact cause will never be known as there was No black box, but it did not have to be.

They say they have enough information to get most of what really happened.

The fact the report states that the plane is in several parts and only held together by electrical cables and fly by wire cables shows how hard it would be to raise it, they would lose vital parts and as stated no black box so really no point. Only down side is the theory of Dave Ibbotson being pulled down in the back wash and trapped underneath the plane will never be proved/disproved unless his body turns up elsewhere

Totally agree with you

AAIB Are always reluctant to bring aircraft's from the sea as it costs alot of money. The micro subs and so on have better eye capability then humans.

1984 model quick drop leads to alot of what these planes have done in the past with inexperienced pilots.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.theg ... e18447534/

As investigators continue to probe why the crash happened, the extraordinary interim report reveals:

Sala's plane hit the water within 30 metres of losing radar contact and broke into three pieces; The engine was thrown out, the wings snapped and the tail and fin are still missing;
Air Accident Investigation Branch report releases chilling images of the Piper Malibu jet 220ft down on of the bed of the Channel;
Investigators are trying to work out if the plane's instruments were giving the correct altitude readings before hitting the Channel;
The plane did not have the permission to carry paying passengers and the pilot David Ibbotson did not have a commercial licence, only a private pleasure licence;
Mr Ibbotson took a meandering route to Cardiff and made four descents within minutes of crash because he did not have the qualifications to fly with just instruments in bad weather;
Around 15 seconds before the fatal crash he plunged at a rate of 7,000ft per minute - equivalent to around 90mph - and hit the water before they could pull up;
Mr Sala's body was in the fuselage. Mr Ibbotson's body has not been found;




The plane will not be recovered, ok who says. The family will want it recovered, i smell some foul play here, if this plane is not coming out of the sea. The family needs all the answers. I been speaking to Sala family member, he has said few times, we will seek to recover the plane, and enough of funds was raised to help to recover the plane to. Why leave the plane in the sea to get rusty,its part of the investigation.

As investigators continue to probe why the crash happened, the extraordinary interim report reveals:

Sala's plane hit the water within 30 metres of losing radar contact and broke into three pieces; The engine was thrown out, the wings snapped and the tail and fin are still missing;
Air Accident Investigation Branch report releases chilling images of the Piper Malibu jet 220ft down on of the bed of the Channel;
Investigators are trying to work out if the plane's instruments were giving the correct altitude readings before hitting the Channel;
The plane did not have the permission to carry paying passengers and the pilot David Ibbotson did not have a commercial licence, only a private pleasure licence;
Mr Ibbotson took a meandering route to Cardiff and made four descents within minutes of crash because he did not have the qualifications to fly with just instruments in bad weather;
Around 15 seconds before the fatal crash he plunged at a rate of 7,000ft per minute - equivalent to around 90mph - and hit the water before they could pull up;
Mr Sala's body was in the fuselage. Mr Ibbotson's body has not been found;




The plane will not be recovered, ok who says. The family will want it recovered, i smell some foul play here, if this plane is not coming out of the sea. The family needs all the answers. I been speaking to Sala family member, he has said few times, we will seek to recover the plane, and enough of funds was raised to help to recover the plane to. Why leave the plane in the sea to get rusty,its part of the investigation.

It's AAIB they hate sea recoverys .. to much time and effort it seems