The investigation into a private plane crash in a San Diego neighborhood has unveiled potential contributing factors to the incident.
The crash occurred at approximately 3:45 a.m. local time on May 22, when a small jet struck a home in Murphy Canyon, near the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. This collision resulted in the complete destruction of one home, damage to ten others, and led to evacuations on multiple streets.
The hit property was entirely destroyed, with significant burns at the front and a partial collapse of the roof.
Onboard the aircraft was Dave Shapiro, a talent music agent thought to be the pilot, along with two of his Sound Talent Group employees, Kendall Fortner and Emma Huke.
Also present were Daniel Williams, a former drummer for the Ohio-based metal band The Devil Wears Prada, Dominic Damian, Shapiro’s friend, and photographer Celina Kenyon.
Tragically, there were no survivors.
Dan Baker from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that while the cause of the crash is yet to be confirmed, two potential factors have been identified.
He noted that due to a power surge, the airport’s weather alert system, which the plane intended to land at, was inoperative prior to the crash, although the pilot was reportedly aware of the foggy conditions.
Instead, the plane’s operator acquired weather data from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, located four miles to the north.
Additionally, the power outage led to the runway lights at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport being turned off.
The pilot is believed to have faced challenging foggy conditions before sunrise, with the medium intensity light system with runway light indicator lights and the precision approach path indicator being non-functional.
Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator with the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration, suggested that dense fog and fatigue might have contributed to the crash, as the pilot was believed to have flown through the night.
He told PBS: “This accident has all the earmarks of a classic attempt to approach an airport in really bad weather and poor visibility. And there were other airports that the crew could have gone to.”
Ben McCarty, the owner of the house that the plane crashed into, described how he and his wife were awakened by an explosion in the early morning hours.
He recounted to ABC’s KGTV: “All I could see was fire. The roof of the house was still on fire. You could see the night sky from our living room.”
In response to the tragedy, a spokesman for Sound Talent Group conveyed to the BBC: “We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends.
“Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy. Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time.”