Wasn’t this the same Piper Malibu that JFK jr crashed?
JFK, Jr. flew his Piper Saratoga into the sea on a hazy evening. The plane in which Sala was a passenger was reportedly a Piper Malibu. The Malibu is a very nice aircraft of more modern design. It is much more capable and faster than the Saratoga, though both are useful machines when properly maintained and flown.
I don’t know, but small planes just seem scary.