Military veteran with NASA ties, along with his family, killed in plane crash, adding to mystery

A decorated veteran pilot with ties to aerospace research and NASA was killed in a plane crash, along with members of his family, last Friday in South Carolina, raising further questions about the disappearance and deaths of 11 scientists involved in nuclear and space research. 

James "Tony" Moffatt, 60, was flying with his wife Leasa, 61, and sons Andrew, 30, and William, 28, when the plane went down around 6:30 p.m. Friday, according to Fox News. 

They were returning home to Huntsville, Alabama, from North Carolina on a Mooney M20 single-engine aircraft. 

Authorities have not released a cause of the crash as the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration continue to investigate the incident.

Moffatt holds a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech in 1988 and previously studied as an experimental test pilot in the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. After his 21-year career in the military, Moffatt worked as a payload and flight crew support specialist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center Astronaut Office, where he took part in 14 Space Shuttle ISS construction missions.

A member of the House Oversight Committee this week suggested that America's foreign adversaries could be behind the death or disappearances of several U.S. scientists, Just the News reported. 

At least 11 American scientists linked to sensitive research have either died or gone missing in recent years. The House Oversight Committee began an investigation into the matter this week.