Federal investigators revealed that the runway lights, which could have assisted a private jet carrying The Devil Wears Prada drummer Daniel Williams and music industry executive Dave Shapiro before it crashed in San Diego, had been nonfunctional since 2022.
The jet was reportedly flying too low in foggy conditions and hit power lines while trying to land at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, as detailed by the investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report, released on Wednesday, provided these insights into the May 22 crash, which resulted in the tragic loss of all six passengers on board.
In addition to the lower-than-average descent and non-existent runway lights, the NTSB determined several other factors also led up to the tragedy — including the pilot not discussing alternate airport weather conditions with the air traffic controller.
The pilot had acknowledged that weather conditions weren’t ideal and debated diverting to a different airport while discussing the visibility with the controller, according to LiveATC.net audio.
But the pilot declared “I think we’ll be alright” before going ahead with the landing attempt.
The FAA had posted an official notice for pilots that the runway alignment lights were out of service, but NTSB investigators noted that had been the case since 2022 due to delayed repairs.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the pilot, who had been based at the airport, knew the lights were out of service at the time.
The NTSB added, too, that the plane was only about 60 feet above the ground — almost 200 feet lower than required — when it struck the power lines.
An official cause of the crash hasn’t yet been determined.
The NTSB’s final report will be issued later this year.
With Post wires
