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On Monday, February 28 2019, the Air Accident Investigations Branch released an interim report on the plane crash that claimed the life of Cardiff City player Emiliano Sala, and presumably that of the plane's pilot, David Ibbotson, still missing. The AAIB found out that the Piper Malibu fell thousands of feet in the space of 20 seconds after making a 180-degree turn, four minutes after Ibbotson requested a descent. He probably requested a descent to avoid clouds and maintain vision. The aircraft is said to have dropped almost vertically in its final moments. Unconfirmed radar readings reveal that the plane may have climbed rapidly before its final descent. The AAIB report reveals that the doomed aircraft was found in three pieces on the seabed of the English Channel (68 meters below the surface), the parts held together by cables. "From the ROV video examination it was possible to establish that the aircraft was extensively damaged," the AAIB report said. "T

Emiliano Sala (left) and David Ibbotson (right) A new search for the body of missing David Ibbotson who piloted the doomed plane carrying Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala will resume next week, as revealed by the pilot's family. David Ibbotson was flying Emiliano Sala - in a Piper Malibu aircraft - to Wales when it went missing over the English Channel last month. An official search for the missingSala and Ibbotson was called off on January 24 but a private search discovered the wreckage on the sea bed of the English Channel and a body, whichturned out to be Sala's .  Emiliano Sala Ibbotson's body wasn't found, so the family set up acrowdfunding campaign to fund a new search for his body. The campaign has so far raised more than £240,000. Ibbotson's daughter Danielle has posted an update on the  fundraising site - a GoFundMe page - thanking donors and announcing the possible resumption of the search next week. "Thank you all so much for you

Friends and family carry Sala's coffin to waiting hearse for journey to Santa Fe for cremation Cardiff city was well represented at Emiliano Sala's funeral, with a delegation made up of manager Neil Warnock, CEO Ken Choo and liaison officer Callum Davies. Davies was due to welcome Emiliano at Cardiff Airport on the fateful night of January 21.  Warnock (left) and Davies (right) at Sala's funeral Warnock spoke to reporters at the service and said it was a very emotional day. " It has been a very emotional morning. Mercedes (Sala’s mother) has been an immense woman this morning. Everyone she has met has had their own memories of Emiliano and it has brought tears to her eyes. His father is the same, and his brother and sister. It is like the whole village is united and it is amazing how they have coped with it. We were very fortunate last night to speak with Mercedes and Romina in the hotel and to have some quiet time. The pride Mercedes has in her son

Mourners started paying tributes to the late Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala since the arrival of his remains in Argentina, on Friday. Sala's life was abruptly cut short in a plane crash as he traveled from Nantes to begin training with his new club Cardiff City. A vigil is going on at Sala's boyhood club San Martin in his hometown of Progreso. Sala's aunt Mirta Taffarel in tears Sala's devastated aunt, Mirta Taffarel, sobbed as she said, " I do not understand it. "I would like to find a responsible person, someone to tell me what has happened, but it only seems that fate led us to this." Fans draped a banner reading  'Emi, nunca caminaras solo' or 'Emi, You'll Never Walk Alone' outside the vigil, whih begun as early as 7:00 a.m. Mourners arrive at Club Atletico y Socual San Martin in Progreso A sobbing mourner, Lucia Torres, who lives nearby, said, "It's as if he was a member of my family. "It

FC Nantes striker Majeed Waris has revealed that the late Emiliano Sala, who died in a plane crash over the English Channel , was like a brother to him, and his death has deeply hurt all his teammates at Nantes. Sala was journeying from Nanes to his new club Cardiff when the crash occurred. Waris disclosed that he and Sala had a strong bond, and that the deceased was loved by all.  “Emiliano Sala was like a brother to us all, even though I only knew him six months ago. He is a person everyone loved. “It all depends on us. You can always think of him while keeping your head up. This is our job. We must always give the best because there are fans who support us. We have to give everything for the club even if we can never forget Emiliano Sala.” He also said Nantes's defeat to Nimes in the Ligue 1 was due to the team's mental weakness.  “The Nîmes match was completely different. Last Sunday, there was still a lot of emotion. Mentally, we have been weak. To lead 2

Emiliano Sala's body was repatriated to Argentina on Friday on a British Airways flight. Thousands are currently paying their last respects to the Cardiff City striker at a vigil in the sports hall of his boyhood football club San Martin, in Progreso.  Progreso mayor Julio Muller yesterday night confirmed that Sala's body would be transported to Santa Fe - an hour's drive south after the eight-and-a-half-long wake ends, so it can be cremated. Mr Muller said: 'If all goes to plan, people will be able to pay their last respects to Emi today from 7am local time to about 3.30pm. 'At 2pm there will be a religious ceremony in the same sports hall where the wake is taking place. 'At 3.30 the family took the decision to cremate Emi's body so it will be returning to the crematorium in the city of Santa Fe.' There are speculations that Sala's remains would be buried in Progreso but the family hasn't made an official disclosure of the venue as y

The body of Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala was returned to Argentina on Friday ahead of his wake and funeral in his home town of Progreso. His body was slowly escorted out of the Buenos Aires airport by police vehicles, and was driven to Progreso, where his vigil will take place. His vigil will hold in the gymnasium near his youth-club headquarters. Sala's body arriving ahead of funeral Emiliano Sala died at 28, on his way to his new club Cardiff, in a plane crash over the English Channel. A privately-funded underwater search led to the discovery of a body in the plane's wreckage on February 3. On February 6, the body was retrieved and later formally identified as Sala's. The plane's pilot, David Ibbotson is yet to be found though presumed dead.  Mirta Taffarel, Emiliano's aunt, watches the van take off with the coffin Sala's family issued a statement thanking the public after Sala's body was identified.  "We would like to thank

Following the death of 28-year-old striker Emiliano Sala, his body will be repatriated to his home country Argentina, on Friday, ahead of a vigil at his boyhood club San Martin de Progreso on Saturday. Sala died in a plane crash in the English Channel, near Alderney. He was traveling from Nantes to join his new club Cardiff, after a club-record £15million transfer from Nantes. Emiliano Sala with CEO Ken Choo after his transfer to Cardiff City Neil Warnock - Cardiff manager, and Ken Choo - Cardiff chief executive officer, will be part of a Cardiff delegation attending the funeral in the town of Progreso in the Argentinian province of Santa Fe. A report from Ouest France reveals that that Sala’s former club Nantes will be represented at the funeral by central defender Nicolas Pallois and general secretary Loic Morin. Pallois was a close friend of Sala's, and will be missing Nantes' Ligue 1  game at Monaco on Saturday to attend the funeral.

Footballer Emiliano Sala's body will be flown to his hometown in Argentina on Friday for a vigil in the gym next to his boyhood club. Emiliano Sala, 28, was flying from Nantes to Cardiff in a plane piloted by David Ibbotson, which went missing over the English Channel on January 21. The pilot's body is yet to be recovered . Sala's body was recovered from the plane's wreckage in the English Channel on February 6. Julio Muller, mayor of Sala's hometown of Progresso in Argentina, said the player's family had arrived for the service. He also said Sala's body would arrive on Friday, in the late afternoon, and be taken to the gymnasium close to his youth club's (San Martin de Progreso) headquarters, where a vigil will hold. San Martin president Daniel Ribero said:  Emi’s body is going to reach Argentina from Europe on Friday and on Saturday we will spend several hours saying farewell to him at the club". Emiliano played at San Martin until h

New Cardiff City signing Emiliano Sala was confirmed dead last week after the recovery of a body from the wreckage of the plane that carried he and pilot David Ibbotson. A post-mortem has found that the Argentinian football player died from injuries to his head and torso. A hearing of the post-mortem examination of his body took place on Monday, and Dorset Coroner's Court concluded Sala passed away due to injuries to his head and trunk. Assistant Dorset Coroner Brendan Allen revealed that Sala's body was identified from fingerprints after recovery.  Mr Sala was identified on February 7 by means of fingerprint evidence analyses by fingerprint expert Christopher Bradbury," said Ian Parry, a senior coroner's officer for Dorset. He added, "A post mortem was carried out after the body was taken to Holly Tree Lodge mortuary. "Home office pathologist Mr Purdue gave the cause of death as a head and trunk injuries." The Air Accident Investigation repor

Emiliano Sala's family began grieving the passing of the Cardiff City footballer on Friday after British Authorities (AAIB) formally identified the body recovered from the plane wreckage as Sala's. In a statement, the family said,  “We can now begin to mourn our son and our brother."  “We would like to thank you for all of your signs of affection and support in the most painful time of our life. “To see everyone doing everything possible to join us in the search has been a precious help to us,” the family said.  Sala's former club Nantes, announced its decision to withdraw the jersey with Sala's number 9.  In a statement, Nantes president Waldemar Kita said: "I do not have the words, it's a tragedy, I'm devastated, Emiliano left his mark, which is why, like many fans, I want to honour him again by removing the number 9 ".  The French league, Ligue 1, will also honor Sala with a minute of applause before every game.  Cardiff led tri