The first suspected pieces of wreckage from the plane that vanished with footballer Emiliano Sala on board have washed up on the French coast.
Two pieces of seat cushion believed to be from the plane that went missing nine days ago were found on the Normandy coast, about 20 miles from the last known position of the aircraft.
It has also emerged that the UK aviation investigators have identified a “priority search area” of about four square nautical miles where they believe the wreckage of the plane may lie and have commissioned a Ministry of Defence salvage and marine operations team to try to locate it. The start of this operation is being delayed by poor weather.
In a statement the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said: “On the morning of Monday 28 January, we were advised by the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses, the French safety investigation authority, that part of a seat cushion had been found on a beach near Surtainville on the Cotentin peninsula.
“A second cushion was found in the same area later that day. From a preliminary examination, we have concluded that it is likely that the cushions are from the missing aircraft.”
It added: “Since we opened our safety investigation on Tuesday 23 January, we have been gathering evidence such as flight, aircraft and personnel records, and have been analysing radar data and air traffic tapes. We have been working closely with other international authorities and have kept the families of those involved updated on our progress.
“From the moment we were notified of the missing aircraft, we have been looking at the feasibility of conducting an underwater seabed search for aircraft wreckage. Based on a detailed assessment of the flight path and last known radar position, we have now identified a priority search area of approximately four square nautical miles. Through the Ministry of Defence’s salvage and marine operations project team, we have commissioned a specialist survey vessel to carry out an underwater survey of the seabed to try to locate and identify possible aircraft wreckage.
“Due to the weather and sea conditions, we currently expect our underwater seabed search to start at the end of this weekend and to take up to three days. Side-scan sonar equipment will be used to try to locate the wreckage on the seabed. If the wreckage is found, a remotely operated vehicle will be used to visually examine the wreckage.”
Shipwreck experts hired by Sala’s family with the help of hundreds of thousands of pounds of donations have been preparing to launch their own search.
This week they revealed they were planning to use a remotely operated vehicle to comb an area of about 25 square nautical miles and they believed there was a good chance of finding the plane, which vanished on Monday last week over the Channel Islands en route from Nantes in France to Cardiff.
The official search for Sala and the pilot, Dave Ibbotson, was led by the Guernsey harbourmaster, Capt David Barker, but was terminated last Thursday.
On Monday, a week after the aircraft vanished, members of Sala’s family chartered a plane and retraced the flight path of the lost aircraft to try to help them build a picture of what happened.
Two fishing boats have searched the area just north of Guernsey where contact with the plane was lost.
The family’s expert, David Mearns, said a search vessel was being mobilised and was expected to be in the area by the end of the week, though poor weather conditions meant it may be delayed until the weekend.
The AAIB said: “We are aware that a privately operated search is also being conducted in the area, and we are liaising closely with those involved to maximise the chance of locating any wreckage and ensure a safe search operation. Our remit is to undertake safety investigations to establish the cause of accidents. We do not apportion blame or liability.”