The music agency Sound Talent Group reported on Thursday that three of its staff members, including co-founder Dave Shapiro, perished in the crash of a private plane in a San Diego neighborhood.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Shapiro owned the aircraft and held a pilot’s license. His LinkedIn profile states that he also owned a flight school named Velocity Aviation and a record label called Velocity Records.
The agency didn’t share the names of the other two employees who died.
“We are heartbroken by the passing of our co-founder, colleagues, and friends. Our thoughts are with their families and everyone affected by today’s tragic event,” the agency expressed in a statement.
Sound Talent Group has represented artists including Hanson, Sum 41 and Vanessa Carlton.
San Diego authorities earlier said two people had died. The National Transportation Safety Board now says the total number of fatalities is unknown, but the plane could hold as many as 10 people.
The private jet crashed early Thursday into a neighborhood of U.S. Navy-owned housing in San Diego during foggy weather, igniting at least one home and numerous vehicles parked on the street. The plane clipped power lines before slamming into the house, said Elliot Simpson with the NTSB.
Several people were injured while trying to flee as flames raced down a single street after the crash just before 4 a.m. in the Murphy Canyon, the largest neighborhood of Navy-owned housing in the country. Others were treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said.
Neighborhood hit hard
At least one home was destroyed with its front heavily burned and its roof partially collapsed. About 10 others suffered damage at the site where half a dozen vehicles were melted and scorched into burned shells.
Ariya Waterworth said she woke up to a “whooshing sound” and then saw a giant fireball outside. She screamed for help as firefighters arrived and helped her get out with her two children and their family dog.
One of the family’s cars was “completely disintegrated,” and the other had extensive damage. Her yard was littered with plane parts, broken glass and debris.
“I definitely do feel blessed because we’ve been spared,” she said.
San Diego police officer Anthony Carrasco said five people from a single family were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation after evacuating to a nearby school. Another person was treated at a hospital for injuries sustained while climbing out of a window trying to flee. Two others were treated for minor injuries at the scene.
At least 100 residents were evacuated, police said, with surrounding blocks cordoned off with yellow police tape and checkpoints. Jet fuel rolled down Salmon Street hours after the crash. The smell of fuel lingered in the air while authorities worked to extinguish one stubborn car fire that sent smoke billowing up.
“I can’t quite put words to describe what the 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,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.
The plane originates from a small New Jersey airport
The tracking site FlightAware lists a Cessna Citation II jet scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport in San Diego at 3:47 a.m. from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas. Simpson said the plane had made a fueling stop in Kansas after originating Wednesday night in Teterboro, New Jersey, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Manhattan and is an airfield frequently used by private and corporate jets.
Audio recorded by www.liveATC.net includes a brief transmission from the pilot calling out that he was on final approach to the Montgomery-Gibbs airport and was about three miles out at 3:45 a.m.
The plane is owned by Daviation LLC, based in Alaska, and its owner held a pilot’s license, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. Public records show the owner also had at least one address in San Diego. The Associated Press couldn’t immediately reach the owner, his family or business partners.
Rescuers help residents and pets escape
Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the crash site, said he and his wife were awakened by a loud bang. They grabbed their three young boys and ran out of the house. On their way out of the neighborhood, they saw a car engulfed in flames.
“It was definitely horrifying for sure, but sometimes you’ve just got to drop your head and get to safety,” he said.
Police officers rescued multiple animals, including three husky puppies that were rolled away in a wagon. A few blocks away, families, including Moore’s, stood in a parking lot waiting to learn when they could return to their homes.
The weather may have played a role in the crash
Eddy said it was very foggy at the time the private plane crashed in the neighborhood about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the Montgomery-Gibbs airport. “You could barely see in front of you,” he said.
City Councilmember Raul Campillo said residents told him dramatic stories “about military families helping military families out of their homes, jumping out of windows and avoiding fire.”
The FAA said the NTSB will lead the investigation.
At that hour and in foggy weather, the plane was likely operating on an instrument flight rules plan, which is typically used during reduced visibility, said Barry Newman, a board-certified aviation attorney.
However, for that airport, once the aircraft reaches 673 feet (205 meters), the pilot also has to rely on his sight.
“If a pilot descends to that level and he can’t see the runway, he has to call for a missed approach or divert to another airport,” Newman said.
In October 2021, a twin-engine plane plowed into a San Diego suburb, killing the pilot and a UPS delivery driver on the ground and burning homes. It was preparing to land at the airport.
In December 2008, a U.S. Marine Corps fighter jet slammed into a house in San Diego’s University City neighborhood, causing an explosion that killed four people inside. The Marine Corps blamed the crash on mechanical failure and human error.
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the councilmember’s surname. It’s Campillo, not Castillo.
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Associated Press journalists Javier Arciga in San Diego; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.
