Current:Home > MyPropulsion engineer is charged with obstructing probe of deadly 2017 US military plane crash -Blueprint Money Mastery
Propulsion engineer is charged with obstructing probe of deadly 2017 US military plane crash
View
Date:2025-04-13 10:45:13
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — A former engineer at a U.S. military air logistics center has been charged with making false statements and obstructing justice during the criminal investigation into a 2017 military plane crash in Mississippi that killed all 16 service members aboard, prosecutors said Wednesday.
James Michael Fisher, 67, was arrested Tuesday after a federal grand jury in northern Mississippi indicted him, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner.
The release said Fisher is a former lead propulsion engineer at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex in Warner Robins, Georgia. Fisher, who now lives in Portugal, made an initial court appearance in Jacksonville, Florida.
A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in northern Mississippi said she did not have information Wednesday about whether Fisher is represented by an attorney.
Fifteen Marines and one Navy corpsman were killed July 10, 2017, when the Marine Corps KC-130T transport plane broke into pieces in the sky and slammed into a soybean field near Itta Bena, Mississippi.
The plane was based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, and it was taking Marine special operations forces from North Carolina to Arizona for training. The crash was the deadliest Marine Corps air disaster since 2005, when a transport helicopter went down during a sandstorm in Iraq, killing 30 Marines and a sailor.
The indictment alleges Fisher knowingly concealed engineering documents and made false statements to investigators about his engineering decisions that might have been related to the crash, according to the news release from Joyner.
Fisher faces up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted on the two false statements and two obstruction of justice charges.
Three agencies that are investigating the crash joined the federal prosecutor in announcing Fisher’s arrest. They are the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
veryGood! (242)
Related
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Lower rates are coming. You should check your CD rates now to keep earning, experts say.
- Parents are stressed and kids are depressed. Here's what the surgeon general prescribes.
- Puka Nacua leaves Los Angeles Rams' loss to Detroit Lions with knee injury
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Beyoncé shares another 'Cécred Sunday' video of her wash day hair routine
- Tennessee, Texas reshape top five of college football's NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 after big wins
- 2 charged in plot to solicit attacks on minorities, officials and infrastructure on Telegram
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- The Latest: Harris and Trump are prepping for the debate but their strategies are vastly different
Ranking
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- The Daily Money: All mortgages are not created equal
- Kathy Bates announces retirement after 'Matlock' reboot: 'It's exhausting'
- Selena Gomez Says She Can't Carry Her Own Children Amid Health Journey
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Fantasy football buy/sell: J.K. Dobbins dominant in Chargers debut
- As summer winds down, dogs around the country make a splash: See pictures of doggy dip days
- Calais Campbell says he was handcuffed, trying to defuse Tyreek Hill detainment
Recommendation
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Colorado rattlesnake 'mega-den' webcam shows scores of baby snakes born in recent weeks
New York site chosen for factory to build high-speed trains for Las Vegas-California line
Cantaloupe recalled for possible salmonella contamination: See which states are impacted
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
Texas parents gain new tools to control their teen’s social media use
Texas parents gain new tools to control their teen’s social media use
Department of Justice sues Maine for treatment of children with behavioral health disabilities