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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National

Emiliano Sala latest: 'No sign' of plane crash pilot David Ibbotson's body after underwater search

David Ibbotson, who piloted the plane carrying Emiliano Sala that crashed into the English Channel, is still missing. (Picture: GoFundMe / Ibbotson Family)

Divers looking for the pilot who was flying the plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala have found "no sign" of his body after an extensive underwater search.

David Ibbotson remains missing after the Piper Malibu plane he was piloting from Nantes in France to Cardiff crashed in the English Channel on January 21.

Sala's body was recovered on February 6 but Mr Ibbotson, 59, of Crowle, Lincolnshire, has not been located.

Shipwreck hunting expert David Mearns, who assisted in the search that found Sala's body, tweeted on Wednesday: "Returning to Guernsey having completed this morning a thorough search of the Piper Malibu wreckage, 2 highly experienced technical divers spent 20 mins searching & filming the plane, sadly there was absolutely no sign of the pilot David Ibbotson."

He added: "Today we also organised a helicopter from the UK with two pilots and two trained observers to fly over the Channel Islands to conduct an aerial search of the CI and French coastlines that are inaccessible. Sadly that search for David Ibbotson's body was also negative."

The wreckage of Sala's plane underwater (AAIB)

Mr Ibbotson's family set up an online fundraising campaign to restart the search for his body, which has reached nearly £250,000.

The aircraft remains underwater off the coast of Guernsey in the Channel as an attempt to recover it was hampered by bad weather.

An investigation will focus on the validity of the pilot's licence.

(HO / AAIB / AFP)

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) named "regulatory requirements" as one of four areas in which it will carry out further work before publishing its final report.

Its interim report noted that the type of licence held by Mr Ibbotson meant he could only fly passengers in the European Union on a cost-sharing basis, rather than for commercial flights.

Sala's body was recovered on February 6 (Emiliano Sala)

Pilots with his licence "must have a bona fide purpose for making the flight", according to the AAIB.

Argentinian footballer Sala signed for Cardiff City from French club Nantes for £15 million on January 18.

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