Marine Navigator Pleads Guilty in Tape Destruction

A Marine navigator pleaded guilty Monday to obstruction and conspiracy charges for destroying a videotape made during the flight of the jet that clipped a ski gondola cable in Italy.

Capt. Joseph Schweitzer, 31, admitted throwing the tape into a fire two days after his EA-6B Prowler radar-jamming jet struck the cable, killing 20 people in February 1998.

“It was a stupid thing to do and I regret that,” Schweitzer told the military judge, Col. Alvin Keller. “It was a rash decision.”

The charges carry a maximum of 10 years in prison. A military panel will be chosen as early as today for a sentencing hearing. Keller said the victims’ relatives can testify about how the tape’s disappearance affected their quest to determine what happened in the crash.

“Joe is the type of guy who wants to stand up and take responsibility,” said Dave Beck, Schweitzer’s attorney. “There were some bad mistakes made after the accident and they made bad decisions.”

The jet’s pilot, Capt. Richard Ashby, 31, of Mission Viejo, Calif., was acquitted by a military jury at Camp Lejeune of manslaughter and other charges on March 4, outraging Italian authorities.

Manslaughter counts against Schweitzer were dismissed after the acquittal. But Schweitzer and Ashby both faced the obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges because of the disappearance of the videotape.

Ashby testified during his trial that Schweitzer filmed the early part of the flight. After they landed, he gave the tape to Schweitzer and never saw it again, Ashby testified.

Schweitzer said Monday that he and Ashby never watched the videotape. He said one of the reasons he wanted to destroy the tape was that, at one point during the flight, he turned the camera on his own face and smiled.

“The video had nothing to do with the mishap,” Schweitzer said. “It wasn’t on in the valley. I didn’t want it to be an issue.”

Schweitzer’s plea was welcomed Monday by the president of the Italian province where the accident occurred.

“I appreciate Schweitzer’s honesty,” said Lorenzo Dellai, president of the Province of Trento. “It is a contribution to clearness, which has always been lacking in this sad story.”