Camp Lejeune - A US Marine pilot charged in last February's fatal Italian cable car disaster told superiors his vision was obscured as his jet cleared a ridge and dove into a valley, where it sheared a set of lift cables, his former commanding officer testified yesterday.
Lieut Col Richard Muegge, one of the first to talk to Capt Richard Ashby after the accident, said the pilot said immediately after landing the crippled EA-6B Prowler that he did not see the lift cable until it was virtually at eye level. The shearing of the lift cables killed 20 people in a gondola sent plunging about 400 feet (122 metres) to the ground.
Capt Ashby (31) of Mission Viejo, California, was charged with 20 counts of involuntary manslaughter, destruction of property and dereliction of duty in the accident, which sparked calls to close US military bases in Italy.
Once his squadron's "top gun," Capt Ashby faces a sentence of up to 200 years in prison if convicted by court-martial.