Man charged for fatal Pennsylvania plane crash that killed student
(WHTM) — A New Jersey man has been charged after a plane crash that killed a Pennsylvania student pilot in 2022.
According to the United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero, the pilot, Philip Everton McPherson II, 36, of New Jersey, was charged by indictment with one count of involuntary manslaughter and 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate, in connection with a 2022 Lehigh County plane crash that killed a student pilot.
Romero says on September 28, 2022, McPherson took off as the pilot-in-command of a Piper-28-140 aircraft from Queen City Airport in Allentown, Pennsylvania with the student pilot. Shortly after takeoff, the plane crashed and the student did not survive.
The indictment alleges that McPherson acted with gross negligence because he “knew that he was not competent to safely fly an aircraft as the pilot-in-command.”
More specifically, the indictment alleges McPherson knew that: (1) he was not competent to safely operate the aircraft because he had two prior accidents and almost a third; (2) he failed his September 29, 2021, reexamination for his pilot’s certificate for a lack of demonstrated competence; (3) he voluntarily surrendered his pilot’s certificate on October 7, 2021, acknowledging his lack of competence; and (4) he allowed his Temporary Airman Certificate to expire on November 8, 2021, thus further acknowledging his inability to demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) his competence to fly safely.
The indictment further charges McPherson with 40 counts of illegally serving as the pilot-in-command of an aircraft with passengers while not possessing an FAA pilot’s certificate permitting him to do so. These flights occurred between October 12, 2021, and September 20, 2022.
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If convicted, McPherson faces a maximum possible sentence of 128 years’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, a $10.25 million fine, and a $4,100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Transportation – Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert W. Schopf and Special Assistant United States Attorney Marie Miller.
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