James “Tony” Moffatt, a decorated military veteran and former NASA payload specialist with extensive aerospace experience, was killed along with his wife and two sons in a small plane crash in South Carolina on April 17, 2026.
Moffatt, 60, was piloting a Mooney M20 single-engine aircraft when it went down around 6:30 p.m. near Union County Airport in Union, South Carolina. The family was returning home to Huntsville, Alabama, from the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina and had stopped to refuel.
Also killed in the crash were his wife Leasa Moffatt, 61, and their sons Andrew Moffatt, 30, and William Moffatt, 28. The plane crashed in a wooded area near the runway, and all four were pronounced dead at the scene.
Moffatt held a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech, earned in 1988. He was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and served a 21-year career in the military as an Army aviation officer and experimental test pilot. After leaving the military, he worked as a payload and flight crew support specialist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center Astronaut Office, where he contributed to 14 Space Shuttle missions supporting International Space Station construction.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the cause of the crash. No determination has been released.
The incident comes as the House Oversight Committee investigates reports of at least 11 American scientists linked to nuclear and space research who have died or gone missing in recent years. On April 20, 2026, Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) sent letters seeking briefings from the FBI, Department of Energy, NASA, and Department of War on the matter, citing potential national security concerns.
The investigation remains ongoing.