Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson (the plane's pilot) died in the accident. Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images
Cardiff Crown Court found David Henderson guilty of endangering safety of an aircraft. Henderson was a businessman who organized the crash that resulted in the death of Emiliano Sala.
Sala and David Ibbotson, the pilot of the plane in which they were travelling, both died in the crash into the English Channel on January 19, 2019.
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Henderson had previously pleaded guilty in the past to trying to arrange flight without authorization or permission, but he had denied the charge that he endangered the safety of an airplane.
The jury took seven and a quarter hours to convict Henderson.
Sala was being flown from Nantes, France to Cardiff where he had signed an agreement with Cardiff City.
In October 2020, a hearing revealed that Ibbotson's commercial aviation license had expired in November 2018. The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch also reported that the plane was leaking carbon monoxide.
Ibbotson tried to lift the plane, but it broke apart in mid-air.
The jury was also informed that Ibbotson didn't have the qualifications to fly at night and that his ratings to pilot single-engine Piper Malibu were expired. Henderson had asked Ibbotson for the flight because Henderson was in Paris on vacation.
The court heard that Henderson sent people a text message telling them to remain silent after being informed of the crash. He warned them that any information they shared would "open a can full of worms."
Later, he admitted to court that he was afraid about what an investigation would do for his business.
Fay Keely the owner of the plane had asked Henderson to not let Ibbotson fly it again after being informed by the Civil Aviation Authority regarding two airspace violations he had committed.
According to the prosecution, Henderson was "reckless" or negligent in prioritizing his business over safety.
He said that pilots were known to break airspace rules and that they were often hired.
Henderson will be sentenced Nov. 12.
