NJ flight instructor charged for 2022 Pennsylvania plane crash that killed student pilot

A New Jersey man has been charged with dozens of crimes in connection with a 2022 plane crash in eastern Pennsylvania that killed a student pilot.

Philip McPherson II, 36, of Haddon Township, was indicted Monday on one count of involuntary manslaughter and 40 counts of illegally piloting a plane without a license, the Justice Department announced in a press release.

McPherson and Keith Kozel, 49, took off from Queen City Airport in Allentown on Sept. 28, 2022, for a practice flight in a single-engine Piper PA-28, according to investigators.

Though Kozel was at the controls for takeoff, McPherson told federal investigators that he quickly took over after the plane suffered engine problems. The plane had failed to reach a safe altitude after takeoff.

However, McPherson’s attempt to salvage the flight didn’t work, as the plane crashed just over a mile from the airport. Kozel died in the crash, while McPherson escaped with serious injuries.

But according to authorities, McPherson never should have been in the cockpit to begin with. He lost his pilot’s license in October 2021 following two previous crashes with students onboard and one near crash, the feds said.

While no one was killed in the earlier incidents, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered McPherson to recertify his license in a test. The FAA said the safety inspector during that test had to take control of the plane, or else it could’ve crashed.

Even though McPherson failed the test, he continued to fly with students, prosecutors said. He stands accused of leading 40 different flights between Oct. 8, 2021 — when he lost his license — and the crash on Sept. 28, 2022.

McPherson pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was released on bail.