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

A decorated veteran pilot, aerospace engineer and defense researcher was killed in a plane crash in South Carolina last week, raising questions about whether the incident is related to the deaths and disappearances of 11 scientists tied to nuclear and space research. 

James “Tony” Moffatt, 60, was flying with his wife Leasa, 61, and sons Andrew, 30, and William, 28, when the plane crashed in a wooded area near the runway at Union County Airport in South Carolina on Friday, the Union County Coroner’s Office said. 

The family from Huntsville, Alabama, was traveling from the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina to Huntsville, officials said, and had stopped in Union County, South Carolina to refuel.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office said the crash occurred around 6:30 p.m. The family was flying a Mooney M20 single-engine aircraft, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

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Authorities have not yet released a cause of the crash as the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration investigate the incident.

Moffatt is the latest scientist with ties to aerospace research and NASA to make headlines, with the deaths and disappearances of 11 individuals with similar backgrounds raising concerns.

His son, Andrew Moffatt, was also an up-and-coming researcher at the time of his death. The 30-year-old was a research engineer and scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s Research and Engineering Support Center, according to UAH. 

The elder Moffatt earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech in 1988 and previously studied as an experimental test pilot in the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Following his 21-year military career, Moffatt worked as a payload and flight crew support specialist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center Astronaut Office, where he participated in 14 Space Shuttle ISS construction missions.

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After retiring from the Army in 2008, Moffatt founded aerospace consulting firm Moffatt Systems Inc., and later served as a principal research engineer at the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s Research Center.

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He also worked on the Army’s Degraded Visual Environment Mitigation program and the Next Generation Unmanned Aircraft System technology demonstration.

Moffatt’s experience draws parallels with several of the scientists who have either died or been reported missing since 2022.

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Michael David Hicks, 59; Frank Maiwald, 61; Nuno Loureiro, 47; Jason Thomas, 45; Amy Eskridge, 34; and Carl Grillmair, 47, all died between 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 all reported missing throughout 2023 to 2026, with each of their disappearances occurring under suspicious circumstances.

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

Additionally, several of the scientists worked within defense labs – mirroring Moffatt’s experience as the founder of aerospace consulting firm Moffatt Systems Inc.

Moffatt’s two sons were also ingrained in similar scientific fields at the time of their deaths. 

Andrew Moffatt served as a research engineer and scientist at UAH’s Research and Engineering Support Center. 

“Andrew was a well-rounded and fine young man, and his spirit made every day an enjoyable day,” Jerry Hendrix, executive director of RSESC, said in a statement. “We will never forget his smile, inviting personality and his encouragement. He will be missed.”

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William Moffatt worked in the information technology industry, and recently earned his Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator Associate certification and held CompTIA Security+ and Linux+ credentials, according to his LinkedIn. 

The disappearances and deaths of the 11 scientists have gained the attention of politicians in Washington, with House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., warning that “something sinister” could be involved.

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“We’ve put a notice out to the Department of War, the FBI, NASA, and the Department of Energy. We want to know everything they know about what happened with these scientists, because those four agencies were predominantly the ones these 11 individuals were affiliated with,” he said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend.” “We want to try to piece this together.”

On Monday, NASA announced it would work alongside other federal agencies to investigate the incidents.

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“NASA is coordinating and cooperating with the relevant agencies in relation to the missing scientists,” NASA spokesperson Bethany Stephens wrote on X. “At this time, nothing related to NASA indicates a national security threat. The agency is committed to transparency and will provide more information as it becomes available.”

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has also vowed to look into the various occurrences.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the FBI confirmed the agency is working alongside other federal authorities in the investigation into the 11 missing and deceased scientists.

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“The FBI is spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists,” the FBI said. “We are working with the Department of Energy, Department of War, and with our state and state and local law enforcement partners to find answers.”

“I hope it’s random, but we’re going to know in the next week and a half,” Trump told reporters last week. “I just left a meeting on that subject.”

The White House, U.S. Army and NASA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding whether Moffatt’s death is being investigated alongside the 11 scientists’ deaths and disappearances. The Pentagon referred all questions to the U.S. Army and FBI. 

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