Can pilots be criminally charged after a plane crash? Here’s what experts say

The two pilots of an Amazon Air cargo jet escaped their Boeing 767 with minor injuries last week at Miami International Airport after the plane ran off the end of a runway, striking two vehicles and killing five people.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, but regardless of what happened analysts say it’s unlikely the two men in the cockpit will face criminal charges.

“From a criminal perspective, there is a federal standard (when to prosecute), and it really has a high bar in terms of determining whether there was gross negligence, recklessness, or disregard for human life,” said Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation.

In the Miami crash , one of the pilots expressed concern about the aircraft’s excessive speed as alarms sounded as it approached the runway, newly revealed information from the cockpit voice recorder shows. The landing, however, continued - a decision which will surely be examined in the NTSB investigation.

“They’ll be asked a lot of questions in terms of decision making and what was going on,” Shahidi said.

The probe by accident investigators usually takes more than a year to complete and is focused on identifying what happened and why. It does not assign blame or any sort of criminal liability, instead focusing on preventing an accident from ever happening again.

“In other countries, automatically, there’s a dual track of investigation,” Shahidi said. “One is a safety investigation by the regulatory authorities, and one is a criminal investigation, and that is the law in those countries, regardless of whether it’s a minor incident or accident … And the U.S. is actually very unique in the fact that they don’t automatically start a dual track.”

Most pilots who have been faulted for crashes by investigators never face criminal charges.

In 2006, Comair Flight 5191 took off from the wrong runway in Lexington, Kentucky. The Delta Connection regional jet was going nearly 160 mph when it ran off the end of the short runway and crashed into trees. Forty-nine people were killed.

The first officer was the only survivor. The NTSB said he and the captain failed to be sure they were on the right runway and lost “positional awareness” due to “nonpertinent conversations during taxi.” No one was criminally charged for the crash.

The pilots of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 were blamed for crashing into a seawall in 2013, sending their jet cartwheeling down a runway in San Francisco, killing three people and injuring 187 others.

In a final report , the NTSB found the flight crew mismanaged the plane’s descent, one of the pilots unintentionally turned off an automatic airspeed system and they didn’t abort the landing when the plane was flying too slow. The pilots were never charged.

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The NTSB is not a prosecuting agency and does not assign liability, even when they determine a mistake by a pilot caused the crash.

The information investigators find is, however, published in a final report and docket and is publicly available after an investigation is complete.

“We don’t have the authority to give them immunity, so they really don’t have any protections other than the goodwill of all the agencies involved,” former NTSB board member John Goglia said. “They can very easily be charged.”

Besides accident investigation agencies, local or federal prosecutors can conduct their own probes and pursue charges, though it is rare in the US for airline pilots to be charged criminally for a crash, according to Kathy Yodice, managing partner at aviation law firm Yodice Associates.

“There has to be evidence of a crime, and that can either be federal or state, and if there is any indication or showing that there might be criminal behavior, then yes, there would be, there could be, a criminal investigation,” she said.

An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot was criminally charged in state and federal court for trying to shut down the engines of a passenger plane in flight in 2023.

The pilot, Joseph Emerson, told police he had taken psychedelic mushrooms two days earlier and thought he was dreaming when he tried to cut off fuel to the engines of the Horizon Air regional jet.

As part of agreements with prosecutors, he entered guilty or no contest pleas. He was sentenced to 50 days in jail but given credit for 50 days of time served and supervised release for three years.

Pilots have also been charged with crimes when they, for example, show up to work under the influence of alcohol or are accused of committing crimes unrelated to their job flying.

Criminal charges from crashes themselves are more common with smaller, general aviation aircraft.

In June, a 37-year-old flight instructor, Philip McPherson II, was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for a 2022 plane crash that killed a student pilot who was riding with him.

Prosecutors said the instructor had lost his pilot’s license the year before, after failing to demonstrate competency, and he had been involved in two prior crashes.

McPherson pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate and other charges.

Companies can also be criminally charged in the United States.

Boeing faced charges relating to the crash of two of its Boeing 737 Max jets that killed nearly 350 people in Indonesia and Ethiopia .

Investigators blamed a design flaw in the plane’s autopilot system. Boeing admitted responsibility for the fatal crashes and that its employees withheld information about the design flaw from the Federal Aviation Administration during certification. The company agreed to a non-prosecution agreement in 2025 and fined $1.1 billion.

Civil lawsuits are a very common way lawyers and victims try to hold accountable the people they see are responsible for plane crashes. They sometimes name airlines, airplane manufacturers, and pilots and often seek many millions of dollars in damages.

Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images

On Wednesday, the first wrongful death suit connected to the Miami crash was filed by the family of Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, who was in the van struck by the Amazon Air Boeing 767 as it went off the runway. His widow, Yaraisi Santiso Morejon, is suing the plane’s pilots, Amazon and 21 Air, the operator of the jet.

“Everyone who played a role in this horrific crash will be held accountable,” said the head of the law firm, John Morgan, in a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration will also look at the incident to see if there should be any fines or other regulatory penalties – including losing a license or certificate – for anyone involved in the crash.

“We don’t know yet what’s going on in this particular accident and who might be looked at as having contributed to the tragedy,” said Yodice, of the aviation law firm. “FAA may be looking at it for compliance standpoint. Were any regulations violated? Was the maintenance kept up? Was the training appropriate? Did the pilots violate a particular federal aviation regulation that applied to their operation of that aircraft, or their flight and duty time regulations that might have been applicable.”

On Sunday, Amazon said it was pausing operations with 21 Air while it continues to work to support the investigation and those affected, according to Reuters.

“After the tragic incident last weekend, we’ve spent time supporting the investigation and reviewing some of the surrounding circumstances, and we’ve decided to pause our operations with 21 Air, the operator of Flight 7598,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said in a statement to Reuters. CNN has reached out to Amazon and 21 Air.

In a statement to Reuters, 21 Air said it remains focused on supporting families and “working closely with the NTSB and all our partners, like Amazon, as the investigation continues. We are confident in our safety policies, procedures and training.”

Criminal charges against pilots in other countries can be more common.

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In 2005, a plane flying from Italy to Tunisia ran out of gas due to a faulty fuel gage and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea near Sicily, killing 16 people, investigators said.

Italian prosecutors said the Tunisian pilot panicked and prayed instead of taking emergency action, arguing he and his copilot could have possibly made it to a nearby airport. They were convicted and sentenced to jail time, according to Reuters.

Yodice points out US pilots flying internationally can face foreign charges if something happens.

“Aviation is a mobile industry,” Yodice said. “If they are involved in an accident in a foreign country, they could be subject to that foreign country’s rules on crimes, the foreign country’s criminal code, and possible criminal charges brought in the foreign country against the U.S. citizens.”

In 2006, a business jet flown by two Americans collided with a Gol Airlines Boeing 737-800 at 37,000 feet over the Amazon jungle in Brazil, according to investigators.

All 154 people on the commercial flight died, but the two pilots in the business jet were able to make an emergency landing.

The Brazilian authorities charged the pilots , while they maintained they did nothing wrong and the collision was caused by air traffic control mistakes.

The two Americans were convicted but refused to return to Brazil and the US would not extradite them. Eventually the case was closed .

上周，一架亚马逊航空货运飞机在迈阿密国际机场冲出跑道尽头，撞上两辆汽车，造成五人死亡，两名飞行员仅受轻伤便从飞机上逃生。

美国国家运输安全委员会仍在调查此次坠机事故的原因，但分析人士表示，无论发生了什么，驾驶舱内的两名男子都不太可能面临刑事指控。

“从刑事角度来看，联邦层面有一个标准（何时提起诉讼），而且在确定是否存在严重疏忽、鲁莽或漠视人命方面，标准确实很高，”飞行安全基金会总裁兼首席执行官哈桑·沙希迪说。

根据新近公布的驾驶舱语音记录器信息显示，在迈阿密空难中，飞机接近跑道时，警报响起，其中一名飞行员曾对飞机速度过快表示担忧。然而，飞机最终还是继续着陆——这一决定无疑将成为美国国家运输安全委员会（NTSB）调查的重点。

沙希迪说：“他们会被问到很多关于决策过程和当时情况的问题。”

事故调查通常需要一年以上的时间才能完成，其重点在于查明事故发生的原因和经过。调查不涉及责任归属或任何刑事责任，而是着重于防止事故再次发生。

沙希迪说：“在其他国家，调查通常采用双轨制。一条是监管机构进行的安全调查，另一条是刑事调查，无论事故大小，这些国家的法律都是如此……而美国的情况非常特殊，他们不会自动启动双轨制调查。”

大多数被调查人员认定对坠机事故负有责任的飞行员，最终都不会面临刑事指控。

2006年，康姆航空5191号航班在肯塔基州列克星顿机场从错误的跑道起飞。这架达美航空支线客机当时的时速接近160英里，冲出短跑道的尽头，撞入树林。机上49人遇难。

副驾驶是唯一的幸存者。美国国家运输安全委员会（NTSB）表示，他和机长未能确认飞机是否在正确的跑道上，并且由于“滑行过程中的无关谈话”而失去了“位置感知”。无人因这起事故被追究刑事责任。

2013 年，韩亚航空一架波音 777 客机撞上旧金山海堤，导致飞机在跑道上翻滚，造成 3 人死亡，187 人受伤。飞行员被指控应对此负责。

美国国家运输安全委员会（NTSB）在最终报告中指出，机组人员对飞机下降过程处理不当，其中一名飞行员无意中关闭了自动空速系统，并且在飞机速度过慢时没有中止着陆。飞行员最终未被起诉。

埃兹拉·肖/盖蒂图片社

美国国家运输安全委员会不是起诉机构，即使认定坠机是由飞行员的失误造成的，也不会追究责任。

然而，调查人员发现的信息会在调查结束后发布在最终报告和案卷中，并向公众公开。

“我们没有权力给予他们豁免权，所以除了所有相关机构的善意之外，他们实际上没有任何保护，”美国国家运输安全委员会前成员约翰·戈利亚说。“他们很容易被起诉。”

除了事故调查机构外，地方或联邦检察官也可以进行自己的调查并提起诉讼，不过据航空律师事务所 Yodice Associates 的管理合伙人 Kathy Yodice 称，在美国，航空公司飞行员因坠机事故而被刑事指控的情况很少见。

“必须要有犯罪证据，这可以是联邦层面的，也可以是州层面的。如果有任何迹象或迹象表明可能存在犯罪行为，那么是的，就可能会展开刑事调查，”她说。

2023 年，一名阿拉斯加航空公司休班飞行员因试图在飞行中关闭客机引擎，在州法院和联邦法院被提起刑事诉讼。

飞行员约瑟夫·埃默森告诉警方，两天前他服用了迷幻蘑菇，当他试图切断地平线航空支线喷气式飞机的发动机燃料时，他以为自己在做梦。

作为与检方达成的协议的一部分，他认罪或不抗辩。他被判处50天监禁，但因已服刑50天而获得减刑，并接受三年监管释放。

例如，飞行员如果醉酒上班，或者被指控犯有与飞行工作无关的罪行，也会被指控犯罪。

小型通用航空飞机因坠机事故而面临的刑事指控更为常见。

6 月，37 岁的飞行教练菲利普·麦克弗森二世因 2022 年的一起飞机坠毁事故被判处 6.5 年监禁，该事故导致与他同机的一名学员飞行员丧生。

检察官表示，这名教练在前一年因未能证明其飞行能力而被吊销了飞行员执照，并且此前曾卷入两起坠机事故。

麦克弗森承认犯有过失杀人罪、40 项无证担任空军人员罪以及其他罪行。

在美国，公司也可能被追究刑事责任。

波音公司面临与两架波音737 Max客机在印度尼西亚和埃塞俄比亚坠毁有关的指控，这两起坠机事件造成近350人死亡。

调查人员将事故归咎于飞机自动驾驶系统的设计缺陷。波音公司承认对致命空难负有责任，并承认其员工在飞机认证期间向美国联邦航空管理局隐瞒了该设计缺陷的信息。该公司于2025年同意不起诉协议，并被处以11亿美元的罚款。

民事诉讼是律师和受害者追究飞机失事责任人的常见方式。他们有时会将航空公司、飞机制造商和飞行员列为被告，并常常寻求数百万美元的赔偿。

Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images

周三，与迈阿密空难相关的首例非正常死亡诉讼由约埃尔·罗德里格斯·纳兰霍的家人提起。纳兰霍当时乘坐的厢式货车被亚马逊航空的波音767客机撞击，飞机冲出跑道。他的遗孀亚拉伊西·桑蒂索·莫雷洪将飞机飞行员、亚马逊公司以及飞机运营商21航空告上法庭。

“所有参与这场可怕车祸的人都将受到追究，”该律师事务所负责人约翰·摩根在一份声明中表示。

美国联邦航空管理局也将调查这起事故，以确定是否应对任何与坠机事件有关的人员处以罚款或其他监管处罚，包括吊销执照或证书。

“我们目前还不清楚这起事故的具体情况，也不知道谁应该为这场悲剧负责，”航空律师事务所的约迪斯说道。“美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）可能会从合规性的角度进行调查。是否存在违反规定的行为？维护保养是否到位？培训是否到位？飞行员是否违反了适用于他们驾驶该飞机的特定联邦航空法规，或者违反了可能适用的飞行和执勤时间规定。”

据路透社报道，亚马逊周日表示，在继续配合调查和帮助受影响人员的同时，将暂停与 21 Air 的合作运营。

亚马逊发言人凯莉·南特尔在发给路透社的一份声明中表示：“在上周末发生这起悲剧事件后，我们投入时间支持调查并审查了相关情况，并决定暂停与7598航班运营商21 Air的合作。” CNN已联系亚马逊和21 Air。

21 Air在发给路透社的一份声明中表示，公司将继续专注于为遇难者家属提供支持，并“与美国国家运输安全委员会（NTSB）以及包括亚马逊在内的所有合作伙伴密切合作，共同推进调查。我们对我们的安全政策、流程和培训充满信心。”

在其他国家，对飞行员提起刑事诉讼的情况可能更为常见。

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调查人员称，2005 年，一架从意大利飞往突尼斯的飞机因燃油表故障而耗尽燃油，在西西里岛附近的地中海坠毁，造成 16 人死亡。

意大利检察官称，这名突尼斯籍飞行员当时惊慌失措，没有采取紧急措施，而是祈祷求救。他们认为，他和副驾驶原本有可能飞到附近的机场。据路透社报道，两人被判有罪并被判处监禁。

约迪斯指出，如果美国飞行员在国际航班上发生意外，可能会面临外国的指控。

“航空业是一个流动性很强的行业，”约迪斯说。“如果他们在国外发生事故，他们可能要遵守该国的犯罪法规、刑法，以及该国可能对美国公民提起的刑事指控。”

据调查人员称，2006 年，一架由两名美国人驾驶的公务机在巴西亚马逊丛林上空 37000 英尺处与一架戈尔航空公司的波音 737-800 相撞。

商业航班上的 154 人全部遇难，但公务机上的两名飞行员成功进行了紧急迫降。

巴西当局对飞行员提出指控，而飞行员则坚称自己没有做错任何事，碰撞是由空中交通管制失误造成的。

这两名美国人被判有罪，但他们拒绝返回巴西，而美国也拒绝引渡他们。最终，此案结案。