Former pilot pleads guilty to obstructing NTSB investigation

Bruce Ryan Forbes, a former pilot with a type rating for the Airbus A-320 and the Boeing 737, 757, 767 and 777, had a passenger on board at the time of the accident, court documents show.

Forbes told NTSB investigators he was maneuvering at an altitude of about 900 feet above ground when he reduced engine speed to 1,000 rpm to descend to 500 feet and fly over the lake. Forbes said after the accident the engine “sputtered” and he was troubleshooting and looking for a safe place to land when the plane struck a power line and plunged into the water.

According to the NTSB report on the accident, the passenger described the sequence of events quite differently. She told investigators the plane was “operating perfectly normally” and she did not hear any sputtering. She also said Forbes flew very low along the edge of the lake and at one point said, “This is where I like to do the water dance,” a choice of words the defendant confirmed in a June 3 settlement.

The passenger said she noticed shortly before the accident that the plane was flying at about the same height as nearby power lines. Investigators reviewed ADS-B data, which they said “was consistent with the passenger’s recollection of the flight path and circumstances.”

According to the NTSB report, a boat operating nearby helped the pilot and passenger. Prosecutors noted in a brief filed June 3 that after the rescue, the passenger heard Forbes say, “I can’t believe this happened. This is a $200,000 plane and now it’s all gone. I have to tell the insurance company the engine failed or they won’t cover us.”

During the NTSB investigation, Forbes insisted the accident was caused by engine failure. Prosecutors said he submitted a report to the NTSB that he certified as “complete and accurate” and that it described problems with the engine shortly before the plane struck the power line. However, according to the report, the passenger provided investigators with a video that showed the engine running normally.

The NTSB concluded that the probable cause of the accident was that “the pilot failed to maintain proper clearance from power lines during deliberate maneuvers at low altitude.”

In December 2023, a grand jury indicted Forbes on two counts of making false statements and one count of obstruction of proceedings before departments, agencies, and committees. Forbes entered into a plea agreement to plead guilty to obstruction of proceedings in exchange for the dismissal of the false statement charge. His guilty plea was accepted on June 3 by a justice of the peace of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

The obstruction of justice charge carries a sentence of up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Forbes will be sentenced on a date to be set by the court.