By Tara Rippin • Published: 06 Feb 2019 • 18:00
SEABED SEARCH: Missing plane found on the seabed of the English Channel CREDIT: @sportbible
AIR investigators have confirmed there is a body inside the wreckage of the plane found during the search for ex-Palma de Soledad youth squad footballer, Emiliano Sala.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) launched an investigation after the aircraft was lost at sea on January 21, while travelling over the English Channel from Nantes, France to Cardiff.
Sala, 28, had been signed by Cardiff City for a club record €17 million.
The light aircraft was being piloted by David Ibbotson, 59, who is also missing.
On Sunday, a privately funded search team working closely with the AAIB, found wreckage of the plane on the seabed, which experts confirmed was the missing Piper Malibu.
In a statement, the AAIB said: “Tragically, in video footage from the remotely operated vehicle (ROV), one occupant is visible amidst the wreckage.
“The AAIB is now considering the next steps, in consultation with the families of the pilot and passenger, and the police.”
The air investigator’s intention is to recover the body inside and if feasible, the aircraft wreckage.
MISSING: Footballer lost at sea after his plane disappeared over the English Channel
Search for Emiliano Sala continues after finding seat cushions from the missing plane
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Tara Rippin is a reporter for Spain’s largest English-speaking newspaper, Euro Weekly News, and is responsible for the Costa Blanca region. She has been in journalism for more than 20 years, having worked for local newspapers in the Midlands, UK, before relocating to Spain in 1990. Since arriving, the mother-of-one has made her home on the Costa Blanca, while spending 18 months at the EWN head office in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol. She loves being part of a community that has a wonderful expat and Spanish mix, and strives to bring the latest and most relevant news to EWN’s loyal and valued readers.
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