John Kimberling, the captain of the chartered Challenger 600 that
crashed on takeoff from Teterboro (N.J.) Airport in February 2005, will be arraigned on Thursday as part of a 27-count superseding
indictment. The new charges cite him and his co-conspirators, all members of now-defunct charter operator Platinum Jet, with a series of crimes. According to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, Kimberling, 63, a contract pilot with Platinum, was charged with “joining a conspiracy to defraud charter flight customers, jet charter brokers and the FAA through interstate wire communications, and to defraud the United States by impeding and obstructing the FAA’s regulation of commercial aircraft in the United States.” The superseding indictment, returned November 13, also charges Kimberling with four counts of making false statements. It further adds charges to the original indictment against Michael Brassington, the CEO, chief pilot and cofounder of Platinum jet; Paul Brassington, a v-p and cofounder of the company; Brien McKenzie, director of maintenance; and Francis Vieira, a Platinum Jet pilot. Two defendants from the original indictment–Platinum Jet cofounder Andre Budhan and charter director Joseph Singh–have pleaded guilty. Sentencing for Budhan is scheduled on February 8 and for Singh on April 5.