A federal jury in Greenville has acquitted James Michael Fisher, a former engineer, of charges involving false statements and obstructing justice in connection with the 2017 crash of a military plane in Mississippi that resulted in 16 deaths.
The eight-day trial concluded Thursday, with Fisher found not guilty. He had been the lead propulsion engineer at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex in Georgia at the time of the incident. The crash involved a KC-130T transport plane that disintegrated mid-flight, killing 15 Marines and one Navy corpsman.
The aircraft was flying from Cherry Point, North Carolina, to El Centro, California, when a cracked and corroded propeller blade failed. The blade broke apart, causing a shockwave that tore the plane apart over farmland near Itta Bena, Mississippi. The crash was the deadliest Marine Corps air disaster since 2005, when a transport helicopter went down in Iraq, killing 30 Marines and a sailor.
Fisher was indicted in 2024, after having retired from the military. Prosecutors accused him of lying to federal agents about changes to inspection procedures during a 2021 investigation, suggesting he was involved in a cover-up that shifted blame to maintenance technicians.
Fisher’s defense attorney, Steve Farese, argued that other personnel authorized the inspection changes while Fisher was in Brazil. Farese said Fisher did not lie about the documents and that the propeller was serviced days before the signed form was completed. He emphasized that no intentional misconduct was involved.
The indictment also alleged that engineers approved about 30 changes to inspection procedures from 2008 to 2017, despite missing documentation. Investigators concluded that trust in Fisher had eroded. The plane was based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York and was transporting Marine special operations forces for training when it crashed. Families later dedicated a memorial at the crash site. The incident prompted grounding and inspection of C-130 aircraft across the military branches involved.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
