The businessman who organised a flight that crashed, killing footballer Emiliano Sala, has been jailed for 18 months for endangering the safety of an aircraft.

David Henderson, 67, was convicted by a majority verdict of 10 to two at Cardiff Crown Court last month.

The plane carrying 28-year-old Sala crashed into the English Channel on the evening of 21 January 2019, killing the striker and pilot David Ibbotson, 59.

The player had been travelling to his new club, Cardiff City.

Henderson, a father-of-three and former RAF officer, had arranged the flight with football agent William ‘Willie’ McKay.

He had asked Mr Ibbotson to fly the plane as he was away on holiday in Paris with his wife.

Mr Ibbotson, who regularly flew for him, did not hold a commercial pilot’s licence, a qualification to fly at night, and his rating to fly the single-engine Piper Malibu had expired.

Emiliano Sala: Businessman who organised fatal flight for footballer found guilty of endangering safety of an aircraft

Who was Emiliano Sala, how did he die and what has happened since?

Emiliano Sala: Plane organiser’s involvement in fatal flight was ‘purely a paperwork issue’, jurors told

Just moments after finding out the plane had gone down, Henderson texted a number of people telling them to stay silent – warning it would “open a can of worms”.

He admitted in court he feared an investigation into his business dealings.

A lawyer representing the Sala family welcomed Henderson’s convictions in a statement and said they hope the Civil Aviation Authority will make sure that “illegal flights of this kind are stopped”.

“The actions of David Henderson are only one piece in the puzzle of how the plane David Ibbotson was illegally flying came to crash into the sea on 21 January 2019,” said Daniel Machover.

“We still do not know the key information about the maintenance history of the aircraft and all the factors behind the carbon monoxide poisoning revealed in August 2019.”

He said the answers to these questions can only be established at the inquest due to start in February next year, calling on Piper Aircraft and Air Accidents Investigation Branch to provide full disclosure of material without delay.

“This should ensure that the inquest can fulfil its function of fully and fearlessly examining the evidence so that all the facts emerge,” he said.

“Only if that happens will Emiliano’s family finally know the truth about this tragedy enabling all the lessons to be learned, so that no family goes through a similar preventable death.”

Sala’s family are pursuing legal action against 13 parties, while a court is still yet to decide if Cardiff City should pay Nantes the multimillion-pound transfer fee they agreed before Sala died.

Related posts:

UK records another drop in COVID infections as number of first jabs hits 22.2 million Boy, 17, killed after ‘metal pole touched electrical line’ in Lancashire ‘Culture of misogyny’ could mean men get more lenient sentences – commissioners Man in critical condition after crashing off-road moped while being pursued by police First man convicted of murder on DNA evidence can be freed from jail, says Parole Board Three Lions to flood Wembley as England sets its sights on first major football final since 1966 UK records 33,869 new COVID cases and 166 more deaths, daily figures show Man charged with terror offences after arrest at Heathrow Airport Gene that doubles risk of respiratory failure from COVID identified by Oxford University scientists Duke of Edinburgh-style scheme to reward pupils for climate action – as Thunberg prepares to join Glasgow strike ‘They should use us’: TikTok influencer with Tourette’s says scientists shouldn’t exclude their voices after report on rise in tic symptoms PM ‘won’t apologise’ for Savile remark to Starmer as commons speaker warns MPs ‘words have consequences’