A BRITISH pilot who was originally set to fly Emiliano Sala has been found GUILTY of organising the deadly flight that killed the football star.

       David Henderson, the businessman who organised the flight that crashed, killing the ￡15million striker and the pilot, has been found guilty at Cardiff Crown Court of endangering the safety of an aircraft.

       2

       David Henderson has been found guilty of organising the deadly flight Credit: WNS 2

       The 28-year-old striker died in a plane crash on January 2019

       Henderson, 67, last week admitted one count of attempting to discharge a passenger without valid permission or authorisation, before a trial in Cardiff.

       That charge typically concerns a business operator failing to acquire the appropriate licences to hire a plane commercially.

       But he has now been found guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft, which he previously denied.

       The 67-year-old was convicted by a majority verdict of 10 to two over the death of the player in deliberations which took over seven and a half hours.

       Henderson will be sentenced on November 12.

       The plane crashed into the sea near the Channel island of Guernsey on January 21, 2019, killing Argentine ace Sala, 28, and pilot David Ibbotson, who was 59.

       Most read in The Sun

       Exclusive

       'HE CAME AT US' Asda guard tells how he tackled 'knifeman who threatened to kill shoppers'

       WHO'S THAT GIRL Danniella Westbrook stuns in new pic after getting fillers and Botox

       'rocky patch' Our Yorkshire Farm stars Amanda and Clive Owen break silence on ‘split’

       FAG END Cost of pack of cigarettes to go up to ￡13.60 in Rishi's Budget

       RISHI DISHES Universal Credit shake-up so 2million can keep an extra ￡1,000 a year

       no joke BGT child star Charlie Wernham is unrecognisable as he joins EastEnders

       He was flying in the single-engine Piper Malibu into Britain from his French club Nantes.

       Sala was much feted ahead of his planned Premier League move.

       There was a huge outpouring of grief following his death with thousands of fans leaving tributes at the stadium.

       Henderson, the aircraft operator, had arranged the flight with football agent William 'Willie' McKay.

       He had asked Mr Ibbotson to fly the plane as he was away on holiday with his wife in Paris.

       Mr Ibbotson, who regularly flew for him, did not hold a commercial pilot's licence, a qualification to fly at night, and his rating to fly the single-engine Piper Malibu had expired.

       The jury heard how just moments after finding out the plane had gone down, Henderson texted a number of people telling them to stay silent warning it would "open a can of worms".

       The father-of-three and former RAF officer admitted in court he had feared an investigation into his business dealings.

       Prosecutor Martin Goudie QC said Henderson had been "reckless or negligent" in the way he operated the plane, putting his business above the safety of passengers by using an authorised plane and hiring pilots neither qualified nor competent to complete the flights.

       SALA CRASH

       Mr Goudie said Henderson had created a culture of breaching the air navigation regulations among the pilots he hired.

       Henderson did not have a Foreign Carrier Permit (FCP) which was needed to fly passengers in the American plane, or an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), which he was required to obtain.

       And during the trial Mr Goudie accused Henderson of lying in his statements to investigators, and of running a "cowboy outfit" after questioning the defendant over why he failed to keep basic information on his pilots.

       In his closing speech, he claimed Henderson ran an "incompetent, undocumented and dishonest organisation".

       But Stephen Spence QC, defending, said his client's actions were "purely a paperwork issue" and had not led to a likelihood of danger.

       He said his client knew Mr Ibbotson, who had been flying for decades and had accumulated around 3,500 flying miles, was an experienced pilot.

       And that Mr Ibbotson, as pilot of that flight, had been in charge of ensuring their safe passage home.

       Cardiff City said they would not make a statement following the verdict however someone close to the club said they would welcome the result.

       They said: "This is a positive verdict and the club will hope it brings some sense of justice and closure to both David and Emiliano's families.

       "The club itself has been cleared of any wrongdoing and they will be pleased that has been acknowledged by the result in court."

       The source said Chairman Mehmet Dalman and others at the club were fighting to put an end to "third-party" flights.

       BUSINESSMAN FOUND GUILTY

       He said: "The club has calling for an end to these flights which are being arranged by third-parties.

       "They have worked with the Government and the FA to call for better regulation and to stop illegal flights putting profits ahead of people."

       Henderson faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

       The family of Emiliano Sala has welcomed the conviction of the man who organised the doomed flight leading to his death but they still have unanswered questions, their solicitor said.

       Speaking after a jury at Cardiff Crown Court convicted David Henderson, Daniel Machover, of Hickman & Rose solicitors, said: "Mr Henderson's convictions are welcome and we hope the CAA will ensure that illegal flights of this kind are stopped. The actions of David Henderson are only one piece in the puzzle of how the plane David Ibbotson was illegally flying came to crash into the sea on 21 January 2019.

       "We still do not know the key information about the maintenance history of the aircraft and all the factors behind the carbon monoxide poisoning revealed in August 2019 by AAIB.

       "The Sala family fervently hope that everyone involved in the inquest will provide full disclosure of material without further delay, including Piper Aircraft Inc and the AAIB.

       "Only if that happens will Emiliano's family finally know the truth about this tragedy enabling all the lessons to be learned, so that no family goes through a similar preventable death."

       We pay for your stories!

       Do you have a story for The Sun news desk?

       Email us at exclusive@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4104. You can WhatsApp us on 07423 720 250. We pay for videos too.

       Click here to upload yours.

       Click here to get The Sun newspaper delivered for FREE for the next six weeks.