David Ibbotson, the pilot who died in a plane crash in the English Channel with Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala, was not licensed to fly at night, it has been reported.
The plane went missing over Guernsey on the night of 21 January, and its wreckage was discovered on the seabed two weeks later. Sala’s body was raised from the sea, along with the aircraft, but Ibbotson’s body has not been found.
Ibbotson was colour-blind, according to BBC Wales, a condition which does not allow pilots to fly at night. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is yet to file its full report but an interim report published at the end of February said there was no evidence Ibbotson had approval to fly commercially.
The AAIB is not expected to publish its full report into the tragedy until early next year.
Cardiff remain locked in a battle with Sala’s former club Nantes over the player’s transfer fee. They have refused to pay the £15m, telling Fifa the player was not yet eligible to play in the Premier League at the time of his death and was free to join another club if he wished.
Fifa have given Cardiff until 3 April to respond to Nantes’ complaint over the unpaid first instalment of £5m.
