Romina Sala says she believes he is still alive after plane vanished over Channel Islands

The family of the footballer Emiliano Sala have pleaded for rescuers to continue searching for the player and a pilot after their light aircraft went missing over the Channel Islands.

Sala’s sister, Romina Sala, speaking after the search was called off, said she believed the Argentinian striker and the pilot, Dave Ibbotson, were still alive and in the Channel three days after their plane vanished.

She 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.”

Romina Sala said she planned to head to the Channel Islands to try to restart the search for her brother. “The idea is to go to the search place to push forward with the search. The only I thing I want is to find my brother,” she said.

Play Video 'There are no words to describe the feeling', says Emiliano Sala's father – video

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) has opened an inquiry since the light aircraft disappeared from radar on Monday night.

“We are looking at all operational aspects of the flight including licensing,” an AAIB spokesman said. Ibbotson, 59, of Crowle, Lincolnshire, was registered with the Federal Aviation Administration in the US and passed a medical exam as recently as November. The FAA records him as having a British private pilot’s licence, issued in 2014, which allowed him to fly the most basic single-engine aircraft. US law states private pilots cannot make a profit by carrying passengers.

Explaining why the search had been terminated, the Guernsey harbourmaster, Capt David Barker, said the chances of the pair having survived were “extremely remote”.

Rescue teams had scanned about 1,700 square miles and examined mobile phone data and satellite imagery, but had not found any trace of the plane, Barker said.

He said he knew Sala’s family were not happy with the decision and he understood. He added that he was not surprised no trace of the men or plane had been found as the waters were in flood tide, with up to 12 knots of current running through the area, meaning the search zone had been growing by the hour.

Barker also 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 he said it was not possible to say if this was where the plane ended up.

Although the active search had been terminated, 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.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A plane used by Guernsey air rescue takes part in the search for the aeroplane carrying Sala and the pilot. Photograph: Channel Island Air Search

“The final aircraft searching for the missing plane and those onboard has now landed,” said Barker. “Although we are no longer actively searching, the incident remains open and we will be broadcasting to all vessels and aircraft in the area to keep a lookout for any trace of the aircraft. This will continue indefinitely.”

Sala’s sister met officials from Cardiff City, who had just signed the player for £13m and were waiting for his arrival from Nantes in France on Monday evening, when the plane he was in vanished from radar screens.

Romina Sala said: “The last time I spoke to him was on Monday when he spoke to the Nantes players. He was really excited to come here to Cardiff. We were in touch all day long. It is incredible to see the support from people all around the world.”

After hearing the search had been called off, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, Cardiff City’s owner, said the news of the plane’s disappearance had “shaken everyone at the club to the core”.

“We were looking forward to providing Emiliano with the next step in his life and career. Those who met Emiliano described a good-natured and humble young man who was eager to impress in the Premier League,” he said.

“The response from the football community has been truly touching and we place on record our sincere thanks to those who have sent messages of support. We also thank everyone involved with the search and rescue operation, and continue to pray for Emiliano, David Ibbotson and their families.”

Vahid Halilhodžić, the Nantes manager, said: “It’s difficult to speak … This is really a terrible moment, we are all shocked. He’s such an appealing lad, so friendly, kind, generous and respectful. A real battler, who really loved the club. I have a special relationship with him because we talked a lot when I came here – he was very down.

“The day he left, we spoke for a long time. He thanked me, he said lots of things. I never would have thought it would be the last conversation I’d have with him. I’ve been in football for a great many years and I’ve never met anyone so appealing, so humble and so modest. He never complained, ever, about anything. I’ve never seen or heard anyone speak badly of him. I don’t have words to express my sadness. Just a super lad. Life is too cruel sometimes.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Romina Sala speaks during a press conference at St David’s hotel in Cardiff. Photograph: Adam Hale/PA

Nantes reacted with anger at the decision to end the search for the plane. The French club said on Twitter: “The club and its supporters are demanding that the searches for EmilianoSala1 continue … Together, for Emi!”

Ibbotson, 59, was flying Sala from Nantes to Cardiff in a single-engined Piper PA-46 Malibu plane. It has emerged that over the weekend, Ibbotson sent a message via social media to a friend suggesting he was “a bit rusty with the ILS” – the instrument landing system, a cockpit aid designed to help guide pilots down to airports and airfields.

Asked about reports that Ibbotson made more than one attempt to take off and the plane was turning back towards northern France when it vanished, Barker said it would be up to the AAIB to examine the flight.

One theory that will be examined is that ice on the wings of the plane caused it to crash. Barker said: “We know that there was a line of heavy weather in close proximity to where the aircraft was last in contact, so that is a possibility.”

He said data from at least one phone onboard had been analysed but had not helped pinpoint its final position.

The 35-year-old aircraft, registration N264DB, was registered to Southern Aircraft Consultancy in Bungay, Suffolk. The private flight was arranged by the football agent Mark McKay, who was involved in Sala’s transfer to Cardiff. McKay, who is the son of the former football agent Willie McKay, has said his family did not own the aircraft.

Three planes and five helicopters have been involved in the search.

Dozens of volunteers helped in the search, including the civilian helicopter based on the tiny island of Brecqhou, home to the Barclay brothers, David and Frederick, the owners of the Telegraph newspapers.