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Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Terrifying cause of private jet crash that killed beloved former rock star and music producer revealed
The pilot of a small private jet that crash landed in southern California last month and killed everyone on board, including a famous drummer, clipped a power line during landing while flying too low a preliminary report has revealed. The Cessna 550 Citation plummeted into San Diego's Murphy Canyon neighborhood in the early hours of May 22 as it made its final approach for Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. Daniel Williams, a former drummer for metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada, and famed music producer Dave Shapiro - who is believed to have been the pilot - were among the six people killed in the crash. Several factors contributed to the fatal crash, including the poor weather conditions that Shapiro was navigating during the descent, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report released Wednesday. The airport's weather data system and a runway lighting system designed to guide pilots as they approach the runway were also inoperable, the NTSB report reviewed by the Daily Mail revealed. Shapiro was flying below the minimum crossing altitude as he approached the airport. Roughly two miles away from the airport, he struck power transmission lines about 95 feet above the ground, slicing the tail of his plane and damaging the stabilizers. The crash killed everyone aboard the jet and left eight people on the ground with minor injuries. The crash damaged one home and sent debris and jet fuel down the street, igniting 20 vehicles in flames, the report said. The fatal plane crash comes amid a spate of aviation accidents including just last week when an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed just minutes after take-off, killing all but one of 242 people on board. The Cessna 550 Citation, with a tail number of N666DS, took off from Teterboro Airport at 11.15pm on May 21. It stopped for fuel in Wichita, Kansas before continuing on to California, where it ultimately crashed in the quiet military neighborhood of Murphy Cnayon - just miles away from to its intended final destination of Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. The pilot and all five passengers were killed. The NTSB's preliminary report does not specifically name the pilot and has yet to definitively conclude that pilot error was to blame. It is believed that Shapiro, a licensed pilot and owner of the doomed Cessna, was flying. The report, does however, recount the steps the pilot took as he began his approach for the private airport. The pilot asked air traffic control if they could assist in determining weather conditions as he flew to San Diego. The controller gave the pilot readings for an airport located four miles north, as well as conditions at other airfields in the area, but the pilot opted to keep heading for Montgomery-Gibbs. He discussed 'alternate airport weather conditions' with the controller, in case he of a 'missed approach', and said he would notify officials of his alternate airport selection, but 'did not do so during the remainder of the flight,' the NTSB report said. Air traffic control advised Shapiro that the airport's weather data system was out of service and the pilot confirmed he was aware, the report states. Investigators last month attributed the issues to a power surge. The drummer also told his followers that he was the 'co-pilot now'. The Cessna 550 Citation plane that was travelling on belonged to Shapiro, a registered pilot When the plane was about 10 miles northeast of a fixed approach point, the controller asked Shapiro if he was going to 'make your descent'. The pilot replied 'I think we'll be alright' and declined vectors to the south from the controller. Shapiro was cleared to use onboard navigation systems to guide his approach to the runway, rather than relying solely on ground-based radio navigation. As he continued his descent, the pilot made a position call on the Montgomery-Gibbs common traffic advisory frequency stating he was three miles from the airport. Officials then hear seven clicks of the microphone button, 'consistent with an attempt to activate the pilot-controlled runway lighting', the report states. This suggests Shapiro tried to turn on the runway lights, which are different than the airport's inoperable runway alignment indicator lights. As he made his approach towards the airfield, Shapiro dropped below the minimum crossing altitude. He continued to fly lower until he struck the power line and crashed, the report states. The runway alignment indicator lights at Montgomery airport had not worked for over three years, the report states. These lights serve as 'visual rails' for pilots during landing and are considered 'invaluable' during 'poor visibility conditions'. Information about the status of the lights had been disclosed in a notice to airmen, which pilots are meant to review before a flight. The pilot was also based at Montgomery Field, the NTSB report adds, though it does not indicate if he was aware of the status of the lighting system. The preliminary report also does not indicate the cause of the crash. The final report could take up to two years to complete. Shapiro, 42, was a co-founder of Sound Talent Group, which counts artists Hanson, Sum 41, Modern Baseball and Vanessa Carlton on its roster. Two other members of Sound Talent Group's staff - booking assistants Emma Huke, 25, and Kendall Fortner, 24, - were also onboard. Other victims included professional photographer and mother Celina Kenyon, 36, and 41-year-old senior software engineer Dominic Damian. He was also a martial artist and owned his own jiu-jitsu school. Williams, 39, known for this work with The Devil Wears Prada, was also a software engineer.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
2 more victims of private jet crash in San Diego identified by coroner
The names of two more people who were killed when the small private jet on which they were passengers crashed into a San Diego, California, neighborhood last week were released on Sunday. The San Diego Medical Examiner confirmed that 41-year-old Dominic Christopher Damian and 24-year-old Kendall Fortner were among the six people aboard a Cessna 550 jet that crash and burst into flames early Thursday morning in dense fog near Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport. Everyone aboard the plane died, officials said. Eight people on the ground were injured, including five who were treated for smoke inhalation, officials said. Multiple homes were destroyed and several vehicles were damaged, authorities said. The crash occurred about 3:45 a.m. when the private jet clipped powerlines and crashed in San Diego's Murphy Canyon neighborhood seconds before it was to land at the Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport, according to an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the NTSB. On Friday, the Medical Examiner confirmed the identities of three of the people aboard the aircraft who were killed as 42-year-old David Shapiro, 25-year-old Emma Huke, and 36-year-old Celina Kenyon. MORE: Music agency co-founder among dead in San Diego plane crash The identity of the sixth person killed in the cash has not been publicly confirmed by officials. Shapiro was the co-founder of the music talent agency Sound Talent Group, the company said in an earlier statement. The company's statement identified Fortner as a booking associate with the agency but Fortner's identity wasn't officially confirmed by the medical examiner until Sunday. Huke also worked for the talent agency as a booking associate, according to the agency. The plane was flying from Wichita, Kansas, to San Diego when it crashed, officials said. The plane originated in Teterboro, New Jersey, according to FlightRadar24 records. The plane stopped to refuel in Wichita, Kansas, before flying on to San Diego, according to FlightRadar24. San Diego Assistant Fire Chief of Emergency Operations Dan Eddy said at a news conference on Thursday that there was dense fog in the area at the time of the crash. In air traffic control audio transmissions minutes before the crash, the pilot was recorded asking about the weather conditions, according to The NTSB said that the airport's weather reporting system as well as runway lights were both not functioning at the time of the crash. ABC News' Nadine El-Bawab contributed to this report. 2 more victims of private jet crash in San Diego identified by coroner originally appeared on
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
San Diego County officials identify three victims of the Murphy Canyon plane crash
(FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office identified three of the six people who were believed to be on a plane that crashed into a residential street in San Diego early Thursday morning. On Friday evening, the county named David Shapiro, 42, Emma L. Huke, 25, and Celina Marie Rose Kenyon, 36, saying they were '…in a Cessna aircraft which crashed into a residential community in San Diego.' Read our full coverage of the Murphy Canyon plane crash The county lists the place of death as the 10200 block of Sample Street and the time as 3:47 a.m. on Thursday morning. Federal officials have said in the time since the crash that six people were believed to be aboard the plane and that all are presumed dead. Although the crash and ensuing fires damaged multiple homes and vehicles along a stretch of Sample Street, only several people on the ground received injuries, mostly from smoke inhalation and from exiting windows. Since the crash, San Diego-based music talent agency Sound Talent Group identified Shapiro as a victim in the crash and said two other employees had also perished, but it did not provide their names. Shapiro was a co-founder of the agency. Rock band The Devil Wears Prada said Daniel Williams, who was the group's drummer for a decade starting in 2005, was also on the plane. On Friday, Tandem Management Company, which works with musicians and lists The Devil Wears Prada among the groups it works with, posted on Facebook saying, 'the music world lost some extraordinary individuals,' and named Shapiro, Huke and Williams, along with Kendall Fortner. Operators of San Diego gym The Training Center and a fighter affiliated with it spoke with FOX 5/KUSI on Friday and identified the sixth victim as Dominic Damian, adding that they planned to host an open mat in his honor on Monday. At a Friday news conference, federal officials released some early findings in the investigation, saying that some of the advanced aviation equipment that helps guide pilots to Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport, where the plane was headed, was not working, including the runway approach light system. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Al Arabiya
23-05-2025
- Al Arabiya
All six people aboard plane that crashed in San Diego confirmed dead
All six people aboard a private jet that crashed in a San Diego neighborhood were killed, but nobody on the ground was seriously injured, an official for the National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday, a day after the fiery accident. The twin-engine Cessna Citation on approach for landing early on Thursday at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport clipped some power lines and plowed into a military housing community known as Murphy Canyon, just west of a golf course, according to NTSB investigator Dan Baker. The aircraft slammed into a street and immediately burst into flames that destroyed the plane and damaged nearby homes and vehicles, Baker told a news briefing. He said nobody on the plane survived, but added no one on the ground was killed or seriously injured. Although Baker did not give any numbers, authorities have previously said six people were aboard the plane, including the pilot. A total of eight people on the ground were treated at or near the scene for minor injuries, according to Candace Hadley, a spokesperson for San Diego Fire-Rescue, who added that a number of residents were instrumental in safely evacuating their neighbors as the fire spread. Local news media identified two of the people aboard the plane as music industry agent Dave Shapiro, owner of the company to which the plane was registered, and musician Daniel Williams, a former drummer for the metal rock band The Devil Wears Prada.
Fox News
23-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
2 dead, 8 injured after plane from NJ carrying 6 makes fiery crash in San Diego military neighborhood: police
A small aircraft crashed in a large San Diego military neighborhood Thursday morning, killing two people and injuring eight others, police said. The aircraft, a Cessna 550 Citation business jet, crashed around 3:45 a.m. in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, igniting multiple homes and cars in flames. It was carrying six people, whose current conditions are unknown, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The flight originated at Teterboro, New Jersey. After making a stop in Wichita, Kansas, it appeared to have been inbound to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. Officials said about 100 residents were displaced; Liberty Military Housing and the Red Cross are assisting in finding immediate accommodations. The FAA is analyzing the scene and eight National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials are en route. Firefighters who arrived at the scene first initiated a quick attack, working with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) to evacuate homes and knock down fires. Naval Base San Diego Capt. Bob Healy described the neighborhood as "one of the largest military housing areas in the world." Initial reports say that the plane hit a pole, losing its wing, then crashed into a home, sending debris airborne. Officials said that 15 homes were impacted by the crash. "We have jet fuel all over the place," San Diego Fire Assistant Chief Dan Eddy said during a news conference. Eddy said there was a "direct hit to multiple homes" and described "a gigantic debris field" in an area of densely populated homes and sweeping canyon views. Video footage shows one house badly damaged by fire. At least three cars were seen burned in the driveway and the roof was partially collapsed. "When [the plane] hit the street, as the jet fuel went down, it took out every single car," Eddy said. "Every single car was burning on both sides of the street." Officials said military families helped each other escape homes and jump out of windows, preventing additional injuries and fatalities. None of those injured had to be taken to the hospital from the scene. Debris from the aircraft was seen strewn along a nearby road and several other cars on the road were also charred and mangled and could be seen still smoldering hours later as the morning sky brightened. "We had one stubborn car fire that wouldn't go out, but the house fires have been knocked down," Eddy said. "Every car on both sides of the street caught fire due to jet fuel. Multiple homes were destroyed." San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl described the catastrophic scenes. "I can't quite put words to describe what this scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see," Wahl said. "For the police officers and firefighters to run in there, start trying to evacuate people out of the way and doing anything and everything they could to try to save somebody's life is really heroic." The crash site is close to the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, a smaller airport on the north side of the city. The crash drew a large police and fire response with first responders going house-to-house to check on residents. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the plane to crash. As of 11:30 a.m. local time, San Diego Police Department Lt. Travis Easter said the scene was "still active" and roads would remain closed. One witness said he heard several loud booms followed by fires. "You look out the window, you just see big flames... So big flames, flames everywhere," he told Fox 2 KTVU. Multiple roads were cordoned off as jet fuel rushed down the street, officials said. The FAA and NTSB will investigate, the FAA said in a statement. The NSTB will lead the investigation and provide any updates, the FAA said.
