Emiliano Sala: David Henderson appears in court on flight charges
- Published
Emiliano Sala died when his plane crashed into the English Channel in January 2019
A man has appeared in court charged with offences related to a plane crash which killed footballer Emiliano Sala.
The plane carrying 28-year-old Sala and pilot David Ibbotson crashed into the English Channel in January 2019.
David Henderson, 66, of the East Riding of Yorkshire, appeared via video link at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday.
Mr Henderson denies endangering the safety of an aircraft and attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation.
Mr Henderson is alleged to have arranged the flight of 21 January 2019, which was bringing the striker from Nantes in France to Cardiff, when it crashed into the English Channel near Guernsey.
On Monday, the court heard how Mr Ibbotson was not licensed to fly an aircraft commercially, and a rating to enable him to fly the Piper Malibu aircraft had expired months before the crash.
The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) reported at the start of the year that the plane had been leaking carbon monoxide during the flight and a final manoeuvre by Mr Ibbotson to pull up the plane had caused it to break up mid-air.
Last week the senior coroner for Dorset, Rachael Griffin, said the full jury inquest - which had been scheduled to take place in March 2021 - would now be adjourned until the conclusion of Mr Henderson's trial.
Defence counsel Stephen Spence questioned whether Cardiff was an "appropriate venue" for the trial, given the level of support for Cardiff City FC in the area.
He added it would be "unsatisfactory to have anyone on the jury who's a fan".
Judge Tracey Lloyd Clark asked that any application for a change of trial venue should be submitted by 23 November.
Mr Henderson, who denies all charges, was granted bail and will go on trial on 18 October 2021.