Light aircraft Piper Malibu with two people went missing over the Channel Islands during a flight from Nantes, France to Cardiff, Wales. On board of the aircraft was the Premier League footballer Emiliano Sala, who recently signed 15.5 million GBP contract with FC Cardiff City.
The authorities confirmed that the plane had requested a landing permit. The connection with it, however, was lost after the permission was given. The plane lost contact while at 2,300 ft and disappeared off radar near the Casquets lighthouse, infamous among mariners as the site of many shipwrecks, eight miles (13 km) north-west of Alderney.
The search and rescue operation was immediately initiated by the local authorities, including two helicopters, two airplanes, and one lifeboat. They have already searched an area of about 1,000 square miles (about 1600 sq km). So far there is no result. The search continues, but the weather is worsening, which hampers the SAR.
Cardiff’s chairman Mehmet Dalman has confirmed that they are “very concerned” by the reports and are “awaiting confirmation” of news on their 15 million GBP club-record signing, while Sala’s parents have spoken back in his homeland of Argentina to say they are “speechless” after being informed of the plane’s disappearance.
Piper PA-46 Malibu and Matrix are a family of American light aircraft manufactured by Piper Aircraft of Vero Beach, Florida. The aircraft is powered by a single engine and has the capacity for one pilot and five passengers. Early Malibus were all piston-engined, but a turboprop version, introduced as the Malibu Meridian but now called the M500, is also available. Currently, Piper offers the M350, M500, and M600 in the PA-46 family.
