All six individuals aboard a small Cessna 550 Citation jet were killed when the aircraft crash-landed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego amidst dense fog on Thursday morning, according to authorities investigating the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reported that the jet, registered to music agent Dave Shapiro, plummeted into San Diego’s Murphy Canyon neighborhood at approximately 3:47 AM (1047 GMT). The crash site is located about two miles (3.2 kilometers) from the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, the aircraft’s intended destination.
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation. However, an audio recording obtained from air traffic website liveatc.net reveals the pilot inquiring about weather conditions prior to descent, noting minimal visibility. “Doesn’t sound great, but we’ll give it a go,” the pilot is heard stating.
As the plane descended, it struck a power line, and the subsequent impact ignited fires in several nearby houses and vehicles, startling residents awake before dawn. NTSB investigator Dan Baker confirmed on Friday that “the pilot and passengers were fatally injured,” adding that no serious injuries were reported on the ground. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had previously confirmed six people were on board the private plane.
The San Diego County medical examiner’s office has identified three of the victims as Dave Shapiro (42), Emma Huke (25), and Celina Kenyon (36). Shapiro, a co-founder of Sound Talent Group, a music agency representing artists like Hanson and Sum 41, was confirmed to be among the deceased. Sound Talent Group also stated that two other employees, booking assistants Huke and Kendall Fortner, perished in the crash. NBC7 identified the remaining victims as software engineer Dominic Damian and Daniel Williams, former drummer for the metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada. Kenyon was a professional photographer and mother, whose father told NBC7 she had opted for the earlier flight to be home for her daughter’s school.
The crash resulted in debris impacting at least 10 homes in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, leaving streets littered with charred remnants, scattered fiberglass, and jet fuel. Eight individuals on the ground received treatment for minor injuries.
The NTSB noted that the pilot did not report any issues to air traffic control or declare an emergency prior to the landing attempt. Compounding the challenging conditions, the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport was reportedly experiencing several malfunctions at the time, including non-operational runway approach lights and an automated weather reporting system, according to the NTSB’s Baker.
The Cessna 550 was not equipped with a flight data recorder, and investigators are working to determine if it had a cockpit voice recorder. The NTSB’s preliminary investigation is expected to take several weeks to complete.
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