Instructor charged with manslaughter in Pennsylvania plane crash that killed student pilot

PHILADELPHIA — A flight instructor is accused of involuntary manslaughter a collision who killed a student pilot in eastern Pennsylvania had surrendered his pilot’s license after two previous crashes with students aboard, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint made public Monday.

Philip Everton McPherson II, 36, of Haddon Township, New Jersey, was in command of the single-engine Piper PA-28 when it took off with the student from Queen City Airport in Allentown on Sept. 28, 2022, the criminal complaint said. He told the National Transportation Safety Board that he took control of the plane from the 49-year-old student shortly after takeoff when they experienced engine problems, an NTSB report said.

The plane soon crashed and burst into flames, killing the student, identified only by his initials “KK.” McPherson was seriously injured.

Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia say McPherson knew he was not competent to fly the plane for several reasons. First, he had twice been teaching students at Central Jersey Regional Airport in New Jersey when their plane veered off the runway during an attempted landing, causing significant damage in incidents prosecutors described as crashes.

He subsequently failed a certification exam and surrendered his pilot’s license in October 2021. He is also charged with 40 counts of illegally flying with passengers, despite the fact that he no longer held a pilot’s license after that date.

McPherson pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on bail, court records show. The charges carry a maximum potential sentence of 128 years in prison. His attorney, public defender Jonathan McDonald, declined to comment on the case.