The search for Emiliano Sala: Why did it take two weeks to find his missing plane?

With one unidentified body retrieved from the wreckage of the plane carrying Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson, questions remain over why it took two weeks to locate after losing radar contact near Alderney in the Channel Islands.

The official search operation to find survivors was conducted largely by volunteers from the RNLI and CIAS, helped by coastguard aircraft from the UK and France. It was called off by Guernsey harbourmaster David Barker after four days, with no signs of the missing aircraft found.

But after an appeal from Emiliano Sala's family and agent led to crowdfunding donations of £324,000, a private search for the aircraft was launched by professional shipwreck hunter David Mearns. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch also added their vessel to the search and the Piper Malibu aircraft was found largely intact after just two hours.

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Report by Louee Dessent-Jackson.

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