Marine Says He Told Pilot to Take Tape
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — A Marine navigator whose jet sliced a ski gondola cable and killed 20 people in Italy said Friday he told the pilot to remove a videotape of the flight because he worried that footage of the jet flying upside down would make them look bad.
Capt. Richard Schweitzer said he used the camera three times before the Marine EA-6B Prowler clipped the cable. Footage showed Capt. Richard Ashby putting the jet through a roll, Schweitzer said.
Ashby, 32, of Mission Viejo, Calif., pleaded not guilty and could be discharged or sent to prison for up to 10 years if convicted.
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