Shocking audio has revealed a plane pilot’s communication with air traffic control officers—just moments prior to the jet crashing into a San Diego neighborhood.
Daniel Williams, a former drummer for the band Devil Wears Prada, and a music agent were killed in the horror that unfolded on Thursday.
The Cessna plane they were traveling on plunged from the sky and crashed in heavy fog, smashing into military housing and torching cars.
It has emerged that the pilot was asking for reports about the weather.
“Alright. Doesn’t sound great,” he was heard saying.
“But we’ll give it a go.”
An automatic weather report about conditions at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, the plane’s supposed destination, was missing some details.
A visibility reading was missing, as was information about wind speeds.
Investigators have not yet recovered the black box, as reported by the ABC affiliate KGTV-TV.
The pilot didn’t log any distress calls, nor was there a problem with the aircraft.
Williams, who played for the band between 2005 and 2016, and Dave Shapiro were among the victims.
Shapiro was a music agent, as well as an avid pilot with 15 years of experience.
His death was confirmed by his talent agency, Sound Talent Group.
Cops have not identified any additional victims.
But, three other STG employees died in the crash, according to Billboard.
Federal aviation chiefs confirmed six people were on board the plane.
Fire chiefs do not believe there are any survivors.
Up to 10 people can fit on board the jet, and it took off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey late on Wednesday night.
It then made a stop in Wichita, Kansas, to re-fuel.
The plane spent around an hour on the ground, according to Flight Radar data.
Then, it took off en route to San Diego but failed to reach its end destination.
The plane came down just two miles from the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in the city.
Officials revealed it appeared to hit power lines before smashing into the ground.
Eight locals were injured, but only one was taken to the hospital.
Before taking to the air, the musician shared a picture of himself by the controls.
The musician took another picture of the plane sitting on the tarmac.
Williams’ dad told TMZ that he was goofing off.
He confirmed that his son didn’t have a pilot’s license.
Officials revealed the impact of the crash set 15 homes alight, and torched several cars.
Pictures from the scene showed debris strewn across the road.
Homes were covered in soot, while cars parked nearby were burned out.
A Honda Accord had been melted, while a sedan was turned into a charred wreck, as reported by The Los Angeles Times.
Local officials claimed it was a miracle people in the neighborhood were not killed.
An evacuation center was set up, but locals affected don’t know when they’ll be able to head back to their homes.
The tragedy happened less than two years after a Cessna P210N pilot died after a plane crashed in La Jolla, California.
In December 2021, a medical plane with two pilots and two nurses were killed – moments before it was set to land.
The victims were identified as nurses Tina Ward and Laurie Gentz, and pilots Douglas James Grande, and Julian Bugaj, 67.
