A fair point.

But if the Malibu had been a G-registered one, we wouldn't be having this discussion as the owner details would be in the public domain.

Instead, it's registered in the US in such a way as to obscure the beneficial owner's identity (even if that wasn't necessarily the main reason for doing so).

Does it have ADS-B, though ?

If it doesn't, then tracking it is considerably more difficult for FR24. Even if it does, it will only be tracked if you fly within line-of-sight of someone with a receiver that's feeding FR24 at that point in time.

There is no suggestion of this in the Ouest-France article previously linked to

"[Henderson]'s ID card was checked at Nantes airport on Monday January 21st, the day on which the aircraft departed, as were those of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson"

very often, you might have a computer program and it has flight plans on it. You tend to keep old flight plans so that if you do the same flight or similar, its just a case of filling in a few details and times etc. You fill in a box with the name of the pilot. Maybe he just neglected to change it. Maybe it was a rush job at the time and he didn't notice. Maybe he asked DH to fill the FP in for him?? We don't know any of the real facts as yet so better not to speculate too much. Speculation is fair and reasonable if reigned in, but starting to say things like using another identity? Maybe not the right thing to be posting.

Nope....just Mode S....and thanks for FR24 explanation...makes sense.

The thing is, either:

1. DH is telling the truth, he wasn't at Nantes - but his ID was presented there, and a flight plan was filed with his name on it.
or
2. DH is not telling the truth, when he said that he hasn't been there for over a year.

Whichever of the above is true, it makes me feel uneasy.

And he is the most linked with the a/c so he must know more than he is letting on, why else delete his FB account ?

I believe this conversation derails on the cost sharing / wingly side.
There is no sign whatever indicating that the doomed flight was a cost sharing one.
There are indications that the agent mentioned above (McKay?) had access to the plane and that he had used the services of DI in the past for other private flights.
I don't think any individual in this sad story had problem facing the operating cost of this flight and I think it is very likely that the whole operating cost was taken by the flight organiser.
If my guesses are true, it's a genuine private flight.
It may be that the pilot was not properly licenced, but that's another issue.
The real issues that led to a disaster are how the flight was planned and conducted.

And for all these anathema on cost sharing, I think that most ordinary people have no idea that they can fly on a small airplane through some car-sharing schema.
Mr and Mrs Smith rightly think that cheap air travel is with low-cost airlines.
I think that most putative passengers looking for flights on wingly are attracted by the adventurous scent of flying in small airplanes.
Further, these activities are not taking any business away from air-taxi companies : regular air-taxi customers will never put their live at risk in a wingly flight and they have the money for professional air-taxis.

So, please leave aside this hysteria about cost sharing models and come back to this private flight that went fatally wrong.

I don't think so.
You are not flying a single piston engine aircraft in bad weather, at night, in winter, over open sea, without a serious flight preparation, unless you are a reckless pilot.
This airplane had the potential for flying on top of the weather.

What - you mean stuff like according to the press he has 4 unsatisfied county court judgements against him which he has not paid.
To get their exact details I'd need to pay to access the CCJ register so I can't be bothered.
All such matters are useful background to possibly add to why exactly he was doing this flight....and why you might have avoided him at all costs.

Anyway......to the a/c ownership
Here are the companies house details for Cool Flourish Ltd the supposed real owner of the a/c behind the trusteeship according to a previous post on here supplying info taken from an unnamed USA source
https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03503845
Exactly what they "do" is uncertain
I note that in 2007 the annual accounts says their Golden Eagle a/c was damaged the previous year.
Directors are Ms F Keely and Ms H Keely
Cool Flourish Ltd certainly owned G-FAVS from 2012 to 2017
Ms F is a chartered accountant which checks out on the ACA register and appears to have a PPL from weblinks found elsewhere

Unfortunately the vast majority of people could not tell the difference between a 100hr TT PPL and an ex FJ 20K TT heavy Captain. to them they are a "pilot" and they make the assumption that a "pilot" can fly anything, ignorance is breathtaking.

That apparently this guy had a (possibly FAA) PPL without an IR (or even IMC), no night rating and was flying SEP in bad weather with icing at night... FFS rather him than me... but taking somebody along with him.... well out of order.

Sorry, no matter how this turns out pretty obvious this flight should not have taken place in those circumstances.

flash8, we don't know the licence details of the pilot.
That will be investigated by the AAIB.
Other people here have shown that public licence databases cannot be trusted to be comprehensive.

No...... unfortunately you are wrong on so many counts. GA AOCs are closing.

Surprised they were not ramp checked, the French authorities seemed to be super keen on N reg aircraft originating from UK a while back. All documents checked albeit for VAT purposes mainly I thought.

100% correct - You only have to read the Wingly "reviews" ......... which appear to be written by the same person ..... all read exactly the same including for the 60 hour, 4 hours on type, highly experienced, knowledgeable, excellent pilot ..... says passenger Tom from Birmingham (Uber style)