Aerospace defense engineer, military veteran killed in plane crash with family

A decorated seasoned pilot, aerospace technologist and defence researcher was killed successful a level clang successful South Carolina past week, raising questions astir whether incidental is related to the deaths and disappearance of 11 scientists tied to atomic and abstraction research. 

James "Tony" Moffatt, 60, was flying with his woman Leasa, 61, and sons Andrew, 30, and William, 28, connected a Mooney M20 single-engine craft returning location to Huntsville, Alabama, from North Carolina erstwhile the craft went down astir 6:30 p.m. Friday, according to FOX 54. 

The level was reportedly traveling to Union County to refuel erstwhile it crashed, sidesplitting each 4 passengers. 

Authorities person not yet released a origin of the clang arsenic the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration proceed to analyse the incident.

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James "Tony" Moffatt, 60, and his woman Leasa, 61, were aboard their Mooney M20 single-engine craft returning location to Huntsville erstwhile the craft went down astir 6:30 p.m. connected Friday, April 17, 2026. (Facebook)

Moffatt is the latest idiosyncratic with ties to aerospace probe and NASA to marque headlines, with the deaths and disappearances of 11 individuals with akin backgrounds raising concerns.

His son, Andrew Moffatt, was besides an up-and-coming researcher astatine the clip of his death. The 30-year-old was a probe technologist and idiosyncratic astatine the University of Alabama successful Huntsville's Research and Engineering Support Center.

James "Tony" Moffatt earned a master’s grade successful aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech successful 1988 and studied arsenic an experimental trial aviator astatine the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, according to FOX 54. (RSESC At UAH/Facebook)

The elder Moffatt earned a master’s grade successful aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech successful 1988 and antecedently studied arsenic an experimental trial aviator successful the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, according to FOX 54. 

Following his 21-year subject career, Moffatt reportedly worked arsenic a payload and formation unit enactment specializer astatine NASA’s Johnson Space Center Astronaut Office, wherever helium participated successful 14 Space Shuttle ISS operation missions.

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James "Tony" Moffatt worked arsenic a payload and formation unit enactment specializer astatine NASA’s Johnson Space Center Astronaut Office and participated successful 14 Space Shuttle ISS operation missions, according to FOX 54. (RSESC At UAH/Facebook)

After retiring from the Army successful 2008, Moffatt founded aerospace consulting steadfast Moffatt Systems Inc., and aboriginal served arsenic a Principal Research Engineer astatine the University of Alabama successful Huntsville’s Research Center, FOX 54 reported. 

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He besides reportedly worked connected the Army's Degraded Visual Environment Mitigation programme and the Next Generation Unmanned Aircraft System exertion demonstration.

Moffatt’s acquisition draws parallels with respective of the scientists who person either died oregon been reported missing since 2022.

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Jason Thomas, left, Melissa Casias, center, and Frank Maiwald are among scientists whose deaths oregon disappearances person drawn scrutiny arsenic officials reappraisal whether immoderate cases are connected. (Fox News: Sierra Casias: Legacy.com)

Michael David Hicks, 59; Frank Maiwald, 61; Nuno Loureiro, 47; Jason Thomas, 45; Amy Eskridge, 34; and Carl Grillmair, 47, each died betwixt 2022 and 2026. 

Monica Reza, 60; Melissa Casias, 53; Anthony Chavez, 79; Steven Garcia, 48; and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Neil McCasland, 68, were each reported missing passim 2023 to 2026, with each of their disappearances occurring nether suspicious circumstances.

Both Reza and Eskridge shared similarities with Moffatt relating to their NASA-based research, with Reza disappearing erstwhile she was the manager of materials processing astatine NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Additionally, respective of the scientists worked wrong defence labs – mirroring Moffatt’s acquisition arsenic the laminitis of aerospace consulting steadfast Moffatt Systems Inc.

Andrew Moffatt, a 30-year-old probe technologist and idiosyncratic astatine the University of Alabama successful Huntsville's Research and Engineering Support Center, died successful a level clang successful South Carolina connected April 17, 2026, on with his parents and brother. (Facebook)

Moffatt’s 2 sons were besides engrained successful akin technological fields astatine the clip of their deaths. 

Andrew Moffatt served arsenic a probe technologist and idiosyncratic astatine UAH's Research and Engineering Support Center, according to FOX 54.

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William Moffatt reportedly worked successful the accusation exertion industry, and precocious earned his Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate certification and held CompTIA Security+ and Linux+ credentials.

William Moffatt, 28, was killed alongside his parents and member successful a level clang successful South Carolina connected April 17, 2026, according to FOX 54. (Facebook)

The disappearances and deaths of the 11 scientists person gained the attraction of politicians successful Washington, with House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., informing that "something sinister" could beryllium involved.

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"We've enactment a announcement retired to the Department of War, the FBI, NASA, and the Department of Energy. We privation to cognize everything they cognize astir what happened with these scientists, due to the fact that those 4 agencies were predominantly the ones these 11 individuals were affiliated with," helium said during an quality connected "Fox & Friends Weekend." "We privation to effort to portion this together."

On Monday, NASA announced it would enactment alongside different national agencies to analyse the incidents.

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"NASA is coordinating and cooperating with the applicable agencies successful narration to the missing scientists," NASA spokesperson Bethany Stephens wrote connected X. "At this time, thing related to NASA indicates a nationalist information threat. The bureau is committed to transparency and volition supply much accusation arsenic it becomes available."

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has besides vowed to look into the assorted occurrences.

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"I anticipation it's random, but we're going to cognize successful the adjacent week and a half," Trump told reporters past week. "I conscionable near a gathering connected that subject."

The White House, U.S. Army, Pentagon and NASA did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for remark regarding whether Moffatt’s decease is being investigated alongside the 11 scientists’ deaths and disappearances.

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.