Late Emiliano Sala and pilot exposed to a harmful level of carbon monoxide before the plane crashed earlier this year.
Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson were exposed to a harmful level of carbon monoxide before their plane crashed in an English channel, as per the investigators.
The Cardiff City record signing was flying back to England after bidding goodbye to Nantes teammates when Piper Malibu aeroplane disappeared from the radar.
An investigation was launched on January 21, and the wreckage was located on the seabed on February 3. The body of Sala has been retrieved, but David’s body has not been found yet.
An update into the investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch issued an update on Wednesday afternoon to reveal that toxicology tests on Sala’s body revealed that he had been exposed to harmful levels of carbon monoxide poisoning before his death.
The AAIB’s report states that toxicity analysis of the plane showed a carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) saturation level of 58 per cent.
According to the reports: “COHb is the combination product of carbon monoxide (CO) with haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein molecule contained in red blood cells.
“A COHb level of 50 per cent or above in an otherwise healthy individual is generally considered to be potentially fatal.
“In this type of aircraft, the cockpit is not separated from the cabin and it is considered likely that the pilot would also have been affected to some extent by exposure to CO.”
Although tests cannot be carried out on Mr Ibbotson, it is “considered likely” that he was also exposed to similar carbon monoxide poisoning.
