Emiliano Sala: Agent denies knowing Sala flights were illegal

Football agent Willie McKay has denied knowingly arranging the illegal "grey" flight on which Emiliano Sala died.

Sala, 28, was killed when the Piper Malibu he was in crashed into the English Channel on 21 January 2019 as it flew from Nantes.

The football player's body was recovered in February 2019 from wreckage found off Guernsey.

The body of pilot David Ibbotson, 59, has not been found.

At Dorset Coroners' Court, Cathryn McGahey QC, for Cardiff City FC, said flight organiser David Henderson had been offering flights in private planes not allowed to carry paying passengers - known as "grey flights".

Henderson was sentenced to 18 months in prison last November.

But Willie McKay said: "I never knew anything about his business, all I knew is that we'd phone him and ask him to take us somewhere."

The agent was read a statement from Mr Henderson alleging he had told Mr McKay the flights were private, and that he had no licence to act as an air taxi or run charter flights.

Mr McKay said he had never heard this, and claimed he could not remember if he paid Mr Henderson in cash, despite taking 20 flights with him over the previous 14 years.

Mr McKay said: "This is a character assassination. I don't want to hear any more of this, I came here to say what actually happened."

He denied ever meeting pilot Mr Ibbotson, despite a text message he had allegedly sent him telling him to come to his house and collect £270 in cash.

Ms McGahey said: "These are unofficial grey flights and you knew they were."

"I never knew anything about David Henderson's business," Mr McKay replied.

Mr McKay was repeatedly interrupted by coroner Rachael Griffin when he became angry about lines of questioning.

She reminded him contempt of court was an offence that could carry a jail sentence.

Matthew Reeve, for Sala's family, asked why Mr McKay had not offered his family's own plane, a King Air 200, to transport the player.

Mr McKay said the plane was getting its propellers serviced.

Mr Reeve suggested the company servicing the plane was refusing to release it until the McKay family paid a bill.

The agent said: "This is to discredit me. I came here in good faith. It is of no relevance at all whether I owe anyone money."

The inquest was earlier told Sala had no concerns about flying in a private plane.

The inquest heard on Thursday that Willie McKay's son, footballer Jack McKay, asked his father to arrange a flight to France after Sala arrived in Wales to sign for Cardiff City.

Jack McKay, who played for Cardiff at the time, said he had been acting as an intermediary at the club, as he spoke good French.

He said Sala had been anxious to get back to Nantes to say goodbye to his teammates at the French club, before returning for his first training session in the Welsh capital.

Jack McKay said the Argentinian player raised no concerns about the condition of the plane following the outbound journey.

In a text message to Sala, Jack McKay said: "My dad said if you want to go home tomorrow we can organise a plane for you to go back to Nantes and come back on Monday before training on Tuesday."

Coroner Rachael Griffin asked: "Did he raise any concerns about going on a private plane?"

"No," Jack McKay replied. He confirmed Sala had not raised any concerns about the condition of the aircraft following the outbound flight.

Willie McKay said he wanted to help out Sala by arranging and paying for the private flights as he "felt as if Cardiff City had failed him" by not arranging a direct flight back following the signing.

He said when one firm could not provide flights for the following day, he called Mr Henderson because "if you've got a problem, David Henderson has usually got a solution".

The jury heard Mr Henderson was unable to fly himself but Willie McKay was "insistent" a solution be found.

He said within 30 minutes Mr Henderson had arranged for an aircraft piloted by Mr Ibbotson to transport Sala.

Willie McKay said he made no inquiries about the pilot or the plane's condition.

The coroner told the jury they were likely to hear concerns were raised about the plane's condition once it arrived in Nantes.

She asked Willie McKay if he had been informed of concerns about the plane or if he had been told that an engineer had looked at it in Nantes.

He replied he had not.

He said he had "no idea" what 23 texts and calls from Mr Henderson - received after the plane arrived in Nantes and before it left for Cardiff - were about.

The coroner asked Willie McKay why he didn't make any checks about the plane or pilot.

He said: "When you call a taxi, do you ask the driver if they're insured or have a licence? No."

Ms Griffin said driving a taxi was "very different" to flying an aircraft.

"It is but, hey ho," replied Mr McKay.

The inquest previously heard Sala was overcome by toxic levels of carbon monoxide before he died from severe head and chest injuries consistent with a plane crash.

On Wednesday the jury was told Mr Ibbotson had been barred from flying the Piper Malibu by its owner, after receiving two notices of airspace infringements from the Civil Aviation Authority.

He had continued to pilot the plane without her knowledge.

The inquest continues.