Emiliano Sala: Search for Cardiff City striker and pilot abandoned
The search was called off after a fourth unsuccessful day since the aircraft disappeared off radars on Monday night north of Guernsey - updates from Thursday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Follow the latest updates as the search for Emiliano Sala, a pilot and a missing plane was called off on Thursday afternoon without any trace of the missing Cardiff City striker in the English Channel.
The search was called off after a fourth unsuccessful day since the aircraft disappeared off radars on Monday night north of Guernsey. After officials confirmed that the priority of the search changed from a rescue mission to a recovery operation, a statement from police said that Thursday search will focus on coastal areas of the Channel Islands and northern France, yet this turned up nothing linked to the missing aircraft.
Cardiff City have said that they are “realistic” about the fate of Sala, who joined the club in a £15m deal last weekend, and revelations about the aeroplane that was carrying Sala and pilot Dave Ibbotson continue to emerge, including a voice message left by Sala to his friends in Argentina in the final hours before he disappeared complaining about the condition of the plane and his fear for his safety. Follow the live updates below.
Please allow a moment for the blog to load.
Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch are investigating the plane's disappearance.
And the AAIB are liaising with international authorities in France, US and Argentina.
"If the aircraft is not found it is likely to limit the scope of the investigation," said the AAIB.
The plane that has disappeared over the English Channel is reportedly that of British football agent Willie McKay.
The Times claim the six-seater Piper PA-46 Malibu aircraft, which has just a single engine, is owned by the Monaco-based agent.
Nantes have tweeted out their continued support for their former player.
The tweet read: "Ou que tu sois, on pense a toi", which translates into English as: "Wherever you are, we think of you".
Reporter Tom Williams was at the scene in Nantes where fans have been gathering since yesterday to pay tribute to Emiliano Sala:
Latest:
A rescue official has said there is "no hope" of finding Emiliano Sala alive.
Chief officer of Channel Islands Air Search, John Fitzgerald, said "even the most fit person" would only last a few hours in the water.
Guernsey Police said that, as of 11:30 GMT, there were three planes and one helicopter in the air as they searched for traces of the missing aircraft.
The force said it was also "reviewing satellite imagery and mobile phone data to see if they can be of any assistance in the search. So far today nothing spotted can be attributed to the missing plane".
Hope of Emiliano Sala being found alive is fading.
Chief officer of Channel Islands Air Search, John Fitzgerald, has said "even the most fit person" would only last a few hours in the water.
A new statement from Guernsey Police has been released, with a decision as to whether to continue the search to be decided later today.
The statement read: “280sq. miles of our targeted search pattern using multiple aircraft from the Channel Islands, France and U.K. has been completed over the last five hours.
"There is as yet no trace today of the missing aircraft.
“The search is ongoing and a decision whether to continue will be taken later today.
“Further information will be released as we have it.”
The missing plane carrying Cardiff City forward Emiliano Sala is unlikely to have been fitted with a flight recorder, according to the UK's aviation regulator.
So-called black boxes which record flight data and cockpit audio are mandatory in airliners and business jets, and are a vital tool for crash investigators.
But they are not mandatory for light aircraft such as the US-registered Piper Malibu plane which went missing over the Channel on Monday night.
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said the plane is "unlikely" to have been fitted with a black box.
The weight of the recorders is one of the reasons why they are not normally used by light aircraft manufacturers.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments