Stearman Pilot Found Guilty of False Statements in Water Crash

Former airline pilot admits lying to federal authorities regarding the Oklahoma biplane accident in summer 2022.

Thursday, June 06, 2024 at 11:04 AM ET

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The Oklahoma Highway Patrol recovered the Boeing Stearman PT-17 biplane from Keystone Lake on August 28, 2022. [Courtesy: Oklahoma Highway Patrol]

Key Takeaways:

A former United Airlines pilot, Bruce Forbes, pleaded guilty to lying to federal authorities about the 2022 crash of a Stearman biplane he was piloting.
Forbes admitted he was flying dangerously low over Lake Keystone ("water dancing") and struck power lines, fabricating an engine trouble story to avoid findings of unsafe flying and ensure insurance payments.
The passenger corroborated Forbes's unsafe flying and recounted that he abandoned her in the sinking plane before she managed to free herself.
Forbes faces potential penalties of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for making false statements and obstructing a government proceeding.

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A former airline pilot has admitted lying to federal authorities regarding the crash of a Stearman biplane he was flying with a passenger in Oklahoma in summer 2022.

Former United Airlines pilot Bruce Forbes, 66 at the time, initially told authorities the Stearman experienced engine trouble on a sightseeing flight over a lake and he struck power lines while he was trying to troubleshoot the engine issues. On Monday, he pled guilty in federal court to misrepresenting the facts.