The flight school instructor who was in command of a plane that crashed three years ago in Lehigh County, killing a student, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, according to court records.

Philip Everton McPherson II, of Haddon Township, New Jersey, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to manslaughter in the Sept. 28, 2022, that killed Keith Kozel, 49, of Easton, according to court records. He also pleaded guilty to 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate, those records state.

McPherson is scheduled to be sentenced in January. His attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged McPherson in August 2024, alleging he had surrendered his pilot’s license after two prior crashes. McPherson and Kozel were in a single-engine Piper PA-28 when it left Queen City Airport in Allentown, and then crashed and caught fire in a yard along Keystone Road in Salisbury Township. McPherson was seriously injured in the crash.

The plane was heading to Hackettstown Airport in Warren County, New Jersey.

A National Transportation Safety Board report found that McPherson took control of the plane from Kozel after taking off and encountering engine problems. The board determined a partial loss of power caused the crash.

A Quakertown man working in the area witnessed the crash and pulled McPherson from the wreckage.

Federal authorities said McPherson knew he was not competent to fly after two crashes in New Jersey and a failure to pass his certification exam. He surrendered his pilot’s license in October 2021. The 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate are for illegally flying with passengers despite not having his certification after that date.

He had a temporary airman certificate which allowed him to fly by himself or with an instructor, but not as a flight instructor with students, authorities said.

Nouman Saleem, owner of ProFlite, pleaded guilty in May in federal court to letting McPherson teach without certification for almost a year. He employed McPherson for 79 hours of flight instruction, which led to students paying more than $100,000 for invalid flight instruction, authorities said.

Saleem is scheduled to be sentenced in November in federal court.

Originally Published: October 15, 2025 at 4:16 PM EDT