Drummer Daniel Williams shared a poignant message on Instagram just hours before the tragic plane crash in San Diego.
The aircraft, carrying six people, crashed into Murphy Canyon on Thursday morning, leading to evacuations across several streets.
“We have jet fuel all over the place,” assistant Fire Department chief Dan Eddy stated at a news conference. “Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.”
Onboard the doomed flight was Daniel Williams, a former drummer for the Ohio-based metal band The Devil Wears Prada, along with David Shapiro, a music agent known for representing artists such as Sum 41 and Vanessa Carlton.
Williams’ former bandmates from The Devil Wears Prada paid tribute to him in a touching social media post.
It read: “No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever.”
Just hours before the crash, Williams had shared several Instagram Stories, showcasing moments from outside the private plane and inside the cockpit.
In one post, Williams joked, “Hey. Hey … you … look at me … I’m the (co)pilot now,” and in another, he added: “Here we gooooo.”
Before taking off, Williams also posted a photo tagging music talent agent manager Shapiro, who owned the plane.
Shapiro was co-founder of Sound Talent Group, which represents clients like Eve 6, Pierce the Veil, I Prevail, Set it Off, Silverstein, Parkway Drive, and Story of the Year.
A representative from Sound Talent Group communicated 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.”
The company confirmed to the BBC that it lost ‘three employees in the plane crash,’ including Shapiro, with the other victims being identified later as booking assistants Kendall Fortner and Emma Huke.
Also among the deceased were Shapiro’s friend Dominic Damian and photographer Celina Kenyon.
Dan Baker of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) discussed potential factors that could have contributed to the crash, although the exact cause has yet to be determined.
He mentioned that the weather alert system at the intended landing airport was inoperative due to a power surge before the collision.
The pilot of the small aircraft is believed to have faced foggy conditions before sunrise, with the medium intensity light system and runway light indicator lights not functioning.