INFO:The New Search is well underway for Sala/Pilot & plane

Search well underway


Sunday 3rd February 2019


These images show the positions of both vessels, north of Guernsey.

As you can see, they are being used to concentrate the search area, with some areas appearing to have been travelled along more than once today.


The underwater search for the missing plane carrying Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson has been launched today.

Two separate searches have launched this morning: an official one, coordinated by the Air Accident Investigation Branch, and a privately funded search operated by marine scientist and wreck hunter David Mearns, on behalf of the Sala family.

Mr Mearns, who is directing the privately-funded enterprise on behalf of the Sala family, is leading a team of seven other people on the vessel FPV Morven that will operate around the clock using sonar and remote controlled vehicles.

He believes they are now searching for a "debris field".

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Both vessels north of Guernsey

Both vessels appear to be well underway in the search operation.

We have been told the target search area for the search is around four square nautical miles.

This image, from Marine Traffic, shows the position of Geo Ocean III, the ship being used by the AAIB in the search operation.

After travelling from Belgium, the ship can now be seen north of Guernsey as it conducts its underwater search.

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And the below map shows the position of Morven, the vessel being used by in the privately funded search.

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A spokesman for the Air Accident Investigation Branch said on Friday:

“We will have two AAIB inspectors onboard and a number of AAIB personnel coordinating activities from our HQ. Our onboard inspectors will be accompanied by survey specialists and of course the ship’s crew.
“As with most air accident investigations a number of international authorities are represented on the investigation but these are not expected to be onboard the ship.
“It’s a dynamic environment and if potential items of interest appear in a scan we may need to stop to lower other equipment into the sea.”

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Teams searching for 'debris field' in depths of 120m

Mr Mearns said yesterday that both vessels would be dividing the overall search area into two.

He said they are looking for “wreckage” and a “debris field” in a depth of 60-120m (196-390ft).

“We will continue to work until the plane is located,” he said.

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How the searches will be carried out

The official search

The AAIB say they have been considering the feasibility of conducting an underwater search of the seabed in a bid to trace aircraft wreckage since they were first notified of the missing plane.

Based on an assessment of the flight path and last known radar position, a priority search area of around four square nautical miles will be the focus of a search mission expected to last three days.

Through the Ministry of Defence’s Salvage and Marine Operations (SALMO) Project Team, a specialist survey vessel has been commissioned to carry out the underwater survey.

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The private search

A privately-funded search for the missing plane actually began last Saturday. It came about after hundreds of thousands of pounds were pledged in a crowdfunding campaign to enable search efforts to continue.

It is being led by marine scientist and wreck hunter David Mearns, on behalf of the Sala family.

Oceanographer David Mearnes



Last Saturday two vessels were deployed out of Guernsey to visually scan “the area of the last radar contact for any clues to the plane’s whereabouts”.

The next stage of this search is an underwater survey, which was announced on Monday – the same day seat cushions were found in France, but two days before that news went public.

Detailing plans of the private below-the-surface search, Mr Mearns said:

“Worst case, we are looking approximately at a search area of 25 square nautical miles.
“It is north of Hurd’s Deep – the area that everybody is concerned about.
“The water depth in the primary area is about 65m.”

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Thanks very much for all the information Annis. Very much appreciated. lets hope they find the two of them soon.

Thanks very much for all the information Annis. Very much appreciated. lets hope they find the two of them soon.

Your welcome

Yes they desperetly need to be both found to put their families minds at rest.

If anybody wants to keep an eye on the vessels then click in the link below, it will
Give you current location and search patterns

Geo Ocean 111 and FPV Morven

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-2.6/centery:49.7/zoom:10

Also David Mearns on Twitter

https://twitter.com/davidlmearns

Last edited by snoopystorm on Sun Feb 03, 2019 6:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If anybody wants to keep an eye on the vessels then click in the link below, it will
Give you current location and search patterns

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-2.6/centery:49.7/zoom:10

Also David Mearns on Twitter

https://twitter.com/davidlmearns

Cheers

Will they be no updated unless something is found?

Thanks for update and links Annis

If anybody wants to keep an eye on the vessels then click in the link below, it will
Give you current location and search patterns

Geo Ocean 111 and FPV Morven

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-2.6/centery:49.7/zoom:10

Also David Mearns on Twitter

https://twitter.com/davidlmearns

panning out a little shows just how much marine traffic there is through the channel .

If anybody wants to keep an eye on the vessels then click in the link below, it will
Give you current location and search patterns

Geo Ocean 111 and FPV Morven

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-2.6/centery:49.7/zoom:10

Also David Mearns on Twitter

https://twitter.com/davidlmearns

panning out a little shows just how much marine traffic there is through the channel .

Also shows how big the areas are that can be missed

When I looked on David Mearns twitter earlier he said that AAIB investigators are onboard the Geo Ocean 111

If anybody wants to keep an eye on the vessels then click in the link below, it will
Give you current location and search patterns

Geo Ocean 111 and FPV Morven

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-2.6/centery:49.7/zoom:10

Also David Mearns on Twitter

https://twitter.com/davidlmearns

panning out a little shows just how much marine traffic there is through the channel .

Also shows how big the areas are that can be missed

When I looked on David Mearns twitter earlier he said that AAIB investigators are onboard the Geo Ocean 111

could take months.

Sounds like they just found the plane.

https://news.sky.com/story/emiliano-sal ... d-11627529

Wreckage from the plane which disappeared with Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson on board has been found in the English Channel.

David Mearns, a marine scientist who directed the private search, made the announcement on Twitter, writing: "Wreckage of the plane carrying Emiliano Sala and piloted by David Ibbotson was located early this morning by the FPV MORVEN.

"As agreed with the AAIB [Air Accidents Investigation Branch] they moved the GEO OCEAN III over the position we provided them to visually identify the plane by ROV. #EmilianoSala."

Mr Mearns added: "The families of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson have been notified by Police.

"The AAIB will be making a statement tomorrow.

"Tonight our sole thoughts are with the families and friends of Emiliano and David."

The news comes just hours after a privately-funded search for the plane that was carrying the pair began in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The Piper Malibu N264DB carrying 28-year-old Sala and 59-year-old Mr Ibbotson disappeared over the English Channel on January 21 after leaving Nantes in France for Cardiff.