PALMER TWP., Pa. – A Palmer Township flight school owner whose student died in a 2022 plane crash has lost his bid to serve his sentence on house arrest.
On Friday, Nov. 6, a federal judge denied a motion from Nouman Saleem, owner of ProFlite in Palmer Township, to serve his sentence on house arrest, according to court documents.
Saleem pleaded guilty in federal court in May 2025 to allowing Philip McPherson to teach from late 2021 until September 2022, despite the Federal Aviation Administration having revoked McPherson’s pilot certificate. On Sept. 28, 2022, a plane carrying McPherson and student Keith Kozel crashed into a Salisbury Township neighborhood; Kozel died in the crash.
The coroner’s office is in the process of identifying the person who was killed and notifying the person’s next of kin.
In April 2025, a grand jury indicted Saleem and his co-defendant, McPherson, on 44 counts. According to court documents, the two attempted to cover up the incident by submitting knowingly false statements to the FAA. Saleem was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release.
A Northampton County flight school owner admitted he let an instructor teach for over a year without certification, before a fatal crash in Lehigh County in 2022 that killed a student pilot.
McPherson was charged with involuntary manslaughter and 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
A New Jersey flight instructor was sentenced Thursday to years in prison for a 2022 Lehigh County plane crash that killed his student pilot.
Authorities say Saleem sought house arrest citing deteriorating health. The court acknowledged he had suffered significant health issues at sentencing, many detailed in the presentence investigation report. Saleem argued he has since had another “heart episode” and requires prescription medication and regular cardiological treatment. His request included a letter from his treating cardiologist warning that incarceration could disrupt his treatment.
Despite the doctor’s request, the court denied the motion, saying Saleem did not follow the proper policies and procedures to gain approval.
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