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The inquest into the death of footballer Emiliano Sala has concluded with a determination that he died as a result of his plane crashing into the sea while he was deeply unconscious.
The inquest was launched in Bournemouth on 14 February, more than three years after the plane carrying Mr Sala crashed between Guernsey and Alderney on a night of bad weather.
The crash killed the Argentinian footballer and the plane's pilot, David Ibbotson. Mr Ibbotson’s body was never recovered.
The inquest was held in Bournemouth in front of a full jury. It was led by Coroner Rachael Griffin. It concluded that toxic levels of carbon monoxide had most likely seeped into the aircraft due to a broken exhaust system.
While not conclusively proving that this led to the crash, tests of Mr Sala’s blood indicated that he would have been “deeply unconscious” before impact.
Pictured: Emiliano Sala had a carbon monoxide blood saturation level of 58%.
On 21 January 2019. Mr Sala was travelling from Nantes to Cardiff to complete a £15million transfer to the Welsh club when the single engine aircraft hit bad weather and crashed.
It has been reported that Ms Griffin has advised the relevant authorities of concerns about safety issues raised in the inquest.
Mr Ibbotson was not in possession of a valid licence that permitted him to fly commercially at night.
Prior to the inquest, David Henderson, who organised the flight, had been found guilty of recklessly endangering the safety of an aircraft and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The incident has raised concerns about whether carbon monoxide monitors should be made mandatory on private planes.
Sala “deeply unconscious” before plane plunged into the sea
Inquest begins into footballer's death
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