Heartbreak as missing plane is finally found

Monday 04 February 2019

Efforts to recover the plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot Dave Ibbotson could be hampered as bad weather hits the English Channel, just 24 hours after it was located lying on the sea bed, almost two weeks after it went missing.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch is expected to release further details about the next stage of the recovery mission today, after it was confirmed last night that the plane itself has been found.

'Shipwreck expert' David Mearns, who was leading the private search to find the plane, withdrew his boat as soon as the plane was found - after previously coming to an agreement with the AAIB, which had confirmed plans to search the sea bed itself after the private search had been arranged.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday night, after docking back in St Peter Port Harbour, Mr Mearns said;

"The plane carrying Emiliano Sala and piloted by David Ibbotson has been located. It was located earlier this morning by crew onboard the Morven and as in agreement with the AAIB 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 have been conducting ROV investigations.

"The families have been notified by the AAIB and the AAIB will be making a statement tomorrow morning.

"This is about the best result we could have hoped for the families but tonight they've heard devastating news and in respect of the families I won't comment any further about what has happened."

There was no sign of Mr Mearns or any of the crew from the Morven at St Peter Port Harbour this morning, and the AAIB has not yet commented.

Pictured above and top: The Morven commissioned by David Mearns remains tied up in St Peter Port Harbour this morning after its successful mission yesterday. 

Both the Sala and Ibbotson families were kept informed throughout yesterday as the plane their loved ones were on was found.

Speaking at his home in Argentina Emiliano's father, Horacio Sala, said he was “desperate” after the privately-funded search operation found the aircraft in the water north west of Alderney.

“I cannot believe it. This is a dream. A bad dream. I am desperate,” Mr Sala told local broadcaster Cronica TV.

“I communicated with them every day, but since I do not have WhatsApp it’s hard to call them or call me.

“They told me that the days passed and there was no news of Emiliano or the plane.”

Pictured: The AAIB vessel, the Geo Ocean III, remained on the scene where the discovery was made overnight. It is the blue dot to the top left of the image.

The Piper Malibu N264DB that had been carrying 28-year-old Mr Sala and pilot Mr Ibbotson, 59, disappeared over the English Channel on January 21 after leaving Nantes in France for Cardiff.

Two vessels, including one commissioned by the AAIB, using sonar had been taking part in a fresh search covering an area of around four square nautical miles.

The initial search, which saw lifeboats and the Channel Islands Air Search plane deployed within minutes of the plane losing contact, had failed to find the plane or any survivors and was called off after three days.

Mr Mearns was then recruited after £300,000 was donated to a gofundme account to pay for a private search to be launched.

He told Express that any money left over is going to a foundation set up to benefit the Sala and Ibbotson families.

Pictured top: David Ibbotson and Emiliano Sala, with the Morven boat which found the plane they were on yesterday.