New Jersey man charged in death of student pilot in Lehigh County in 2022, officials say
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A New Jersey man could face up to 128 years in prison after he was charged with the death of a student pilot in Lehigh County in 2022, the United States Attorney's Office said on Monday.
Philip Everton McPherson II, 36, of Haddon Township, New Jersey, was charged with one count of involuntary manslaughter and 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate in a 2022 plane crash.
In September 2022, McPherson took off as the pilot-in-command of a Piper-28-140 aircraft from Queen City Airport in Allentown with a student pilot. Shortly after taking off, the U.S. Attorney's Office said McPherson crashed the plane and killed the student pilot.
McPherson allegedly acted with "gross negligence because he knew that he was not competent to safely fly an aircraft as the pilot-in-command," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
McPherson had two prior accidents and nearly a third and failed his pilot's license reexamination in September 2021, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. McPherson also allowed his Temporary Airman Certificate to expire in November 2021.
The flights happened between Oct. 12, 2021, and Sept. 20, 2022.
If McPherson is convicted, he faces a maximum possible sentence of 128 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a $10.25 million fine, and a $4,100 special assessment.