High Profile Accident Took Life of Sports Figure, Pilot

A recent AAIB update provides some surprising detail about the accident that took the life of a passenger and his non-IFR rated pilot flying at night, over water and in or near icing conditions.... but it isn't what you might first surmise. 

Soccer star/passenger, Emiliano Sala had been exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide prior to the plane crash which claimed his life on Jan. 21, 2019. The pilot's remain have not yet been found but it stands to reason that he, too, would have been similarly affected.

At 2122 hrs on 21 January 2019, a Piper PA-46-310P Malibu aircraft, registration N264DB, had been lost from radar in transit from Nantes, France, to Cardiff in the UK, and that a surface search for survivors was conducted using assets from the Channel Islands, UK and France. There were two persons on board the aircraft but neither was found by the surface search. The wreckage was located on 3 February 2019 on the seabed approximately 22 nm north-north-west of Guernsey, within 100m of the last secondary radar point recorded by the radar at Guernsey and at a depth of 68 m. There was one body present in the wreckage, which was recovered. The body was subsequently identified as that of the passenger.

The AAIB notes that, "This Special Bulletin highlights the danger of exposure to carbon monoxide in both piston and turbine engine aircraft. Toxicology tests found that the passenger had a high saturation level of COHb (the combination product of carbon monoxide and hemoglobin). It is considered likely that the pilot would also have been exposed to carbon monoxide."

The special report adds that, "Toxicology tests on the blood of the passenger showed a carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) saturation level of 58%. COHb is the combination product of carbon monoxide (CO) with hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein molecule contained in red blood cells. CO is a colorless, odorless gas produced from the incomplete combustion of carbon.containing materials. It readily combines with hemoglobin in the blood, decreasing the carriage of oxygen and causing a direct effect on the performance of those parts of the body which rely on oxygen for proper function. A COHb level of 50% 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."

FMI: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/aaib-investigation-into-the-loss-of-aircraft-n264db, https://youtu.be/Qj3sx0a2W28