The pilot of the plane that crashed with Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala on board did not have a licence for commercial flights, investigators say.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch confirmed David Ibbotson held a private pilot’s licence.
Its interim report said he could only fly passengers in the EU on a cost sharing basis, not for reward.
Cardiff City said it had “grave concerns” and questions over the validity of the pilot’s licence.
Investigators have not yet been able to establish what arrangement Mr Ibbotson had with Sala, and the status of the 59-year-old’s licence at the time of the crash on January 21 will form part of the AAIB’s investigations.
Sala was found in the wreckage of the Piper Malibu N264DB, which was found on the seabed 13 days after it vanished over the English Channel near Guernsey.
