Mississippi Jury Acquits Engineer in 2017 Military Plane Crash

James Michael Fisher cleared of charges related to investigation of deadly C-130 crash that killed 16 service members.

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A federal jury in Greenville, Mississippi has acquitted former military aircraft maintenance engineer James Michael Fisher of charges of making false statements and obstructing justice during the investigation into a 2017 crash of a KC-130T military transport plane that killed all 16 service members on board. Prosecutors had accused Fisher of lying about changes to propeller inspection procedures, but his defense argued that others had approved those changes while Fisher was out of the country, and that the inspection issues were not the direct cause of the crash.

Why it matters

The 2017 military plane crash in Mississippi was one of the deadliest Marine Corps air disasters in over a decade, raising questions about maintenance procedures and oversight of military aircraft. The acquittal of the engineer accused of obstructing the investigation highlights the complexities involved in determining responsibility for such tragic incidents.

The details

In 2017, a KC-130T military transport plane crashed in Mississippi, killing all 16 service members on board. Federal prosecutors had accused James Michael Fisher, the former lead propulsion engineer overseeing the plane's maintenance, of lying to investigators about changes to propeller inspection procedures. However, Fisher's defense argued that others had approved those changes while he was out of the country, and that the inspection issues were not the direct cause of the crash. After an eight-day trial, the jury ultimately found Fisher not guilty of the charges.

  • The KC-130T plane crashed on July 10, 2017 near Itta Bena, Mississippi.
  • Fisher was indicted by a federal grand jury in Mississippi in 2024, several years after the crash.
  • The eight-day trial that resulted in Fisher's acquittal took place in March 2026.

The players

James Michael Fisher

A former lead propulsion engineer overseeing military aircraft maintenance who was accused of making false statements and obstructing the investigation into the 2017 military plane crash in Mississippi.

Steve Farese

The defense lawyer who represented James Michael Fisher and argued that others, not Fisher, had approved changes to propeller inspection procedures that were at issue in the case.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Nobody did it intentionally. As one witness said, there were 10 different ways for that blade to have through inspection and be missed or put back in the system accidentally. There were 10 different ways it could have happened. So there was no clarity in the trial as to exactly what did happen.”

— Steve Farese, Defense Lawyer (The Associated Press)

The takeaway

This case highlights the complexities involved in determining responsibility for tragic military accidents, as well as the challenges prosecutors can face in proving charges of obstruction and false statements, even in high-profile incidents with devastating consequences.