Relatives of Emiliano Sala are investigating the possibility of launching their own search after the authorities in Guernsey halted their hunt for the missing footballer, the pilot Dave Ibbotson and his plane.
Family members are understood to be flying to the UK to join Romina Sala, the sister of the Cardiff City player.
Her call for the Guernsey harbourmaster to resume the search has been backed by several professional footballers, including Lionel Messi, and a petition signed by more than 50,000 people which was begun in France, where until recently Sala played for Nantes. There has also been a march in his hometown of Progreso, Argentina, calling for Capt David Barker to restart the search.
On Thursday, Barker said rescuers would no longer actively look for the pair, whose plane vanished from radar screens on Monday, because they believed their chances of survival were “extremely remote”.
Meanwhile, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch has confirmed it will look at all operational aspects of the flight, including licensing.
Ibbotson, 59, of Crowle, Lincolnshire, held a private pilot’s licence and passed a medical exam as recently as November, according to US Federal Aviation Administration records.
The Civil Aviation Authority said the aircraft was registered in the US, so fell under American regulations. US law states private pilots cannot make a profit by carrying passengers. The nature of the arrangement between Ibbotson and Sala is unclear.
Speaking in the UK on Thursday, Sala’s sister said: “Please don’t give up searching for my brother. In my heart I know that Emiliano is a fighter and I know he is still alive. Please do not stop.”
She added: “The idea is to go to the search place to push forward with the search. The only thing I want is to find my brother.”
The Argentina and Barcelona player Messi said on Instagram: “As long as there are still possibilities, a hint of hope, we ask you please continue to look for Emiliano. I send all my strength and support to his family and friends.”
Many Argentinian footballers used the hashtag #NoDejenDeBuscar (#Don’tStopLooking) on social media.
The Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero tweeted: “We don’t want to give up, we want to hold on to hope … don’t call off the search.”
Another City player, Nicolás Otamendi, said: “I’d like to express my sympathies to Emiliano’s family, and urge the police to keep searching for the plane. There’s still hope to find them alive. All my support to his family, and let’s hope they get an answer urgently.”
Nantes, which sold Sala, 28, to Cardiff City, tweeted: “This search mustn’t stop. The club and its supporters strongly ask for the search to find [Sala] to go on, for his family and his near relatives. Together for Emi!”
The plane left Nantes for Cardiff at 7.15pm on Monday, and after asking to descend, lost contact with Jersey air traffic control. On Thursday, Barker acknowledged Sala’s family were unhappy with the decision to stop actively searching, but said he was “absolutely confident” no more could be done.
Rescue teams had scanned about 1,700 sq miles and examined mobile phone data and satellite imagery, Barker said, but had not found any trace of the plane.
He said he was not surprised by the outcome because the waters were in flood tide, with up to 12 knots of current running through the area, meaning the search zone had grown by the hour.
Barker confirmed the final suspected position of the plane had been close to Hurd Deep, an underwater valley used as a dumping ground for radioactive waste, but said it was not possible to say if this was where the plane ended up.
Although the active search had ended, he said, ships and planes were still being asked to look out for any signs of the men or their plane. It remained a missing persons investigation.
The lifeboat charity the RNLI said its volunteers “gave their utmost” in challenging conditions during the three-day search.
Channel Island rescue workers faced “rough seas, heavy hail showers and squalls” on shifts lasting 10 hours or more.
Alderney lifeboat’s deputy second coxswain, Mark Gaudion, said there was always “an overwhelming desire to have a positive outcome” among rescue workers. Every search was “treated equally, with compassion and determination to locate those missing”.