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Plane of Missing Soccer Player Emiliano Sala Is Found Video Shows Undersea Wreck of Plane that Carried Soccer Star Emiliano Sala
(about 11 hours later)
LONDON — The wreckage of the small plane carrying the Argentine soccer striker Emiliano Sala and his pilot, David Ibbotson, has been found in the English Channel, a shipwreck hunter said on Sunday, days after parts of the aircraft’s seat cushions were discovered on a French beach. LONDON — The wreckage of the small plane carrying the Argentine soccer striker Emiliano Sala and his pilot, David Ibbotson, has been found on the seabed in the English Channel, a shipwreck hunter said on Sunday, days after parts of the aircraft’s seat cushions were discovered on a French beach.
“The families of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson have been notified by police,” David Mearns, a maritime scientist whose team led the private search for the Piper Malibu plane, said on Twitter. The plane was found using an underwater drone that recorded video of the wreckage, including the body of one of the victims, the British government said on Monday. The video showed the aircraft registration number on the fuselage, confirming that it was the missing plane.
“The families of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson have been notified by police,” David Mearns, the shipwreck hunter whose team had been searching for the Piper Malibu plane, said on Twitter.
The single-engine, propeller-driven aircraft disappeared over the English Channel after departing Nantes, a city in western France, at 8:15 p.m. local time on Jan. 21, headed for Cardiff, the capital of Wales.The single-engine, propeller-driven aircraft disappeared over the English Channel after departing Nantes, a city in western France, at 8:15 p.m. local time on Jan. 21, headed for Cardiff, the capital of Wales.
Mr. Mearns told the British broadcaster Sky News on Sunday evening that the vessel “was located earlier this morning by my crew onboard the Morven,” referring to the FPV Morven. Mr. Mearns, a maritime scientist, told the British broadcaster Sky News on Sunday evening that the vessel “was located earlier this morning by my crew onboard the Morven,” referring to the search ship FPV Morven. Mr. Mearns’s company, Blue Water Recoveries, had been collaborating with the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch, or A.A.I.B., scanning the sea floor using sonar.
Mr. Mearns said his team had provided Britain’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch with the location of the wreckage. “In agreement with the A.A.I.B., as soon as the plane was located, and the position was passed to them, their vessel, the Geo Ocean III, then moved in over the wreckage” and took over recovery operations. A ship commissioned by the air accidents agency, the Geo Ocean III, launched a remotely operated vehicle, or R.O.V., to view the discovery at close range, the agency said in a statement on Monday.
He said the agency would make a statement on Monday morning. “Based on analysis of R.O.V. video footage, the A.A.I.B. investigators on board the vessel concluded that the object is wreckage from the missing Piper Malibu aircraft, registration N264DB,” it said. The underwater drone “carried out a further search of the area overnight, but did not identify any additional pieces of wreckage.”
Mr. Sala’s family conducted a private search after the authorities ended their search on Jan. 24. David Barker, the harbormaster captain of the island of Guernsey, a self-governing British dependency off the coast of France, said in a statement at the time, “The chances of survival at this stage are extremely remote.” “Tragically, in video footage from the R.O.V., one occupant is visible amidst the wreckage,” the agency added, but it did not specify whether the body was Mr. Sala’s or Mr. Ibbotson’s. “The A.A.I.B. is now considering the next steps, in consultation with the families of the pilot and passenger, and the police.”
Mr. Sala’s family had commissioned a private search after the authorities ended their search of the Channel’s surface and small islands on Jan. 24. David Barker, the harbormaster of the island of Guernsey, a self-governing British dependency off the coast of France, said in a statement at the time, “The chances of survival at this stage are extremely remote.”
Mr. Sala, 28, a prolific goal scorer for Nantes in the French league, had recently been transferred to the Premier League club Cardiff City and was scheduled to practice with the Welsh team for the first time the next day.Mr. Sala, 28, a prolific goal scorer for Nantes in the French league, had recently been transferred to the Premier League club Cardiff City and was scheduled to practice with the Welsh team for the first time the next day.
The flight went through rough, wintry weather over the Channel, and Mr. Sala left a voice message for friends and relatives saying that he was afraid that the plane would break apart.The flight went through rough, wintry weather over the Channel, and Mr. Sala left a voice message for friends and relatives saying that he was afraid that the plane would break apart.
After the authorities ended their search, Romina Sala, Mr. Sala’s sister, pleaded with the authorities not to call it off.After the authorities ended their search, Romina Sala, Mr. Sala’s sister, pleaded with the authorities not to call it off.
“Please, please, please don’t stop the search,” Ms. Sala said at a news conference in Cardiff, fighting back tears.“Please, please, please don’t stop the search,” Ms. Sala said at a news conference in Cardiff, fighting back tears.
She said she knew in her heart that Mr. Sala was still alive somewhere in the Channel.She said she knew in her heart that Mr. Sala was still alive somewhere in the Channel.
A Facebook message to Mr. Sala’s sister seeking comment was not immediately answered on Sunday night.A Facebook message to Mr. Sala’s sister seeking comment was not immediately answered on Sunday night.
People from all over the world — including soccer stars like Kylian Mbappé, a member of the French national team that won the World Cup last year — chipped in to help the family’s search.People from all over the world — including soccer stars like Kylian Mbappé, a member of the French national team that won the World Cup last year — chipped in to help the family’s search.
Sport Cover, a Paris-based soccer agency, started a GoFundMe page on Jan. 25 that by Sunday evening had raised more than 371,000 euros, about $424,000.Sport Cover, a Paris-based soccer agency, started a GoFundMe page on Jan. 25 that by Sunday evening had raised more than 371,000 euros, about $424,000.
Geo Ocean III, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch’s vessel, departed Ostend, a coastal city in Belgium, on Sunday morning to begin a three-day underwater search, the organization tweeted. The search area was to cover about four square miles, according to the BBC. Geo Ocean III departed Ostend, a coastal city in Belgium, on Sunday morning to begin a three-day underwater search, the A.A.I.B. tweeted. The search area was to cover about four square miles, according to the BBC.
On Sunday evening, after the wreckage was discovered in the English Channel, Mr. Mearns told Sky News: “This is about the best result we could’ve hoped for the families, but tonight they’ve heard devastating news.”On Sunday evening, after the wreckage was discovered in the English Channel, Mr. Mearns told Sky News: “This is about the best result we could’ve hoped for the families, but tonight they’ve heard devastating news.”