David Ibbotson, Sala pilot, is not qualified to fly at night

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Getty Images / David Ibbotson

The pilot of the plane that crashed into the Channel with Emiliano Sala aboard was not qualified to fly at night, according to BBC Wales.

David Ibbotson is thought to be color-blind, and his license restricted him to daytime flying.

The 28-year-old footballer Sala died when the plane that was transporting him from Nantes to Cardiff crashed around the end of 21 January.

The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stated that she could make no comment.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) stated that licensing "continues to be at the center of its investigations".

Regulatory authorities confirmed that Mr. Ibbotson of Crowle, North Lincolnshire, did not hold a "night rating" on his British private pilot license, according to the BBC.

His British license was replaced by a US pilot license, which allowed him to fly the Piper Malibu, registered in the United States, in Europe.

The public record of his FAA license states that Mr. Ibbotson "must have close-up vision goggles" and that "all limitations and restrictions of the UK pilot's license shall be granted". apply ".

There is no public registry of British pilot licenses held by CAA.

Sources told BBC Wales, however, that Mr. Ibbotson's license restricted him to "daytime flights only".

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AAIB / Google Earth

An aviation source told BBC Wales that the ability to be able to differentiate between green and red lights is "essential" to fly in the dark.

"Everything that is on the UK license also applies to the US license, so that it could do nothing more than what the UK license allows."

"Stealing outside the restrictions of your license is illegal and it will probably affect the insurance coverage of the flight."

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The rules of European aviation define the night as "the time from half an hour after sunset until half an hour before sunrise".

The flight plans seen by BBC Wales indicate that the planned flight for Argentine coach Sala during his first training with Cardiff City was to leave the Nantes airport at 21:00 local time on 21 January.

But the flight was postponed to 19:00, at the request of Sala, to allow him to spend the day saying goodbye to his teammates of Nantes.

By the time Mr. Ibbotson embarked a Piper Malibu aircraft on the runway, ready for take-off, shortly after 7:00 pm, approximately 7:00 pm had pbaded since sunset.

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AAIB / PA

The speculations on the legality of theft have hitherto turned around the question of whether it respects the restrictions imposed on private pilots conducting pbadenger flights in Europe on a plane registered in the United States.

As a private pilot, Mr. Ibbotson, 59, was not allowed to carry pbadengers for remuneration or financial reward.

A preliminary report from the AIIB, released in February, indicated that he could only fly his pbadengers on a cost-sharing basis.

As the aircraft was registered in the United States, the pilot and the pbadenger must have a "common purpose" to make the trip and the pilot must dictate the departure of a flight.

The report adds that the flight "shall not be carried out for the sole purpose of carrying the pbadenger".

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PA / AAIB

During an interview in February, football officer Willie McKay, who ordered the robbery, told the BBC that he and his family had paid for the robbery.

He did not participate, he said, in selecting the plane or pilot and this was not a cost-shared arrangement.

The plane disappeared from the radar north of Guernsey in the Channel Islands at 20:16.

Sala 's body was found in the debris of the plane in early February, but Mr Ibbotson' s body was not found.

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AFP

The European Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) states that in order to obtain a night rating, a pilot must complete five hours of theory and five hours of flight training.

In its preliminary report, the AAIB stated that, since Mr. Ibbotson's pilot license and logbook had been lost in the accident, he had not yet been in able to establish his ranking or the number of flight hours that he had traveled recently. had completed approximately 3,700 flight hours.

Investigators should normally determine the number of flying hours of a pilot during the last 28 and 90 days prior to an accident.

The AAIB is expected to release its full report on the tragedy in early 2020.

• You can contact BBC Wales News Focus by email at: [email protected]