What We Know About the Private Plane Crash That Devastated a San Diego Neighborhood
A personal aircraft grazed electrical wires prior to this incident.
crashing into a home
Early Thursday in San Diego, the co-founder of a music talent agency along with two of its staff members were killed, and vehicles were set ablaze in a neighborhood containing U.S. Navy-owned housing.
The Sound Talent Group reported that co-founder Dave Shapiro was killed in the accident. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, he owned the aircraft and held a pilot’s license. The talent agency declined to disclose the identities of the other staff members involved.
The San Diego Police Department reported that at least 100 residents have been relocated to a local elementary school which is functioning as an evacuation center.
The aircraft was en route from New Jersey to San Diego following a refueling halt in Kansas. The crash occurred roughly two miles (three kilometers) away from San Diego’s Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
The overall count of fatalities remains uncertain.
San Diego authorities initially stated that two individuals perished in the accident; however, the National Transportation Safety Board has since indicated that the total number of fatalities remains unclear. The FAA reported that the aircraft was carrying six passengers.
During foggy conditions, the aircraft plummeted into Murphy Canyon, which is the biggest area within the United States occupied predominantly by U.S. Navy personnel through their family homes. This impact set ablaze at minimum one residence along with several automobiles lined up on the roadways. According to the NTSB report, the airplane made contact with electrical wires prior to hitting the ground.
San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy stated that the fog was very dense: “It was extremely hard to see anything in front of you.”
Multiple individuals sustained injuries while attempting to escape following the collision, and some received medical attention for smoke inhalation, according to officials.
On the ground, an appalling sight unfolds.
A minimum of one house was completely demolished; its entrance area sustained severe fire damage, and its rooftop partly caved in. Approximately ten more structures received some level of harm. Roughly six cars were reduced to charred husks due to melting and burning.
Fuel from a burning vehicle spilled onto the road, filling the atmosphere with its scent as officials struggled to put out a tenacious blaze that released thick plumes of smoke into the sky.
Christopher Moore, who resides just down the street from where the incident occurred, stated that both he and his spouse were jolted awake by a thunderous noise. Upon looking outside, he noticed smoke billowing through the window. Rushing into action, they quickly gathered their three young sons and evacuated their home immediately. As they exited the area, they spotted a vehicle engulfed in flames nearby.
Law enforcement personnel saved several creatures, among them three husky pups that were carried off in a cart.
The agency’s co-founder was also involved with a record label.
The Sound Talent Group, which was started by Shapiro, has managed various artists such as the American pop band Hanson, the American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, and the Canadian rock group Sum 41. Hanson gained widespread recognition with their catchy 1990s pop single “MMMBop.”
Shapiro is also the owner of Velocity Records, which represents American rock groups like rosecoloredworld and Concrete Castles, along with the Japanese heavy metal band Nemophila.
Shapiro was also the owner of a flight school called Velocity Aviation.
The departure took place outside of Manhattan.
The National Transportation Safety Board reported that the aircraft involved was a Cessna Citation II jet. According to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, the plane had been slated to land at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego at 3:47 a.m., originating from the smaller Colonel James Jabara Airport located in Wichita, Kansas.
The airport director in Wichita mentioned that the aircraft had stopped for refueling at their facility.
The journey began on Wednesday evening at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, as reported by FlightAware. This airport lies approximately 6 miles (10 kilometers) away from Manhattan and is commonly utilized by private and business jets.
Aeroplanes have crashed in other neighborhoods of San Diego.
In October 2021, a aircraft with two engines
crashed into a neighborhood in San Diego
, 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 crashed into a residence in San Diego’s University City area, triggering an explosion that resulted in four fatalities within the home. The Marine Corps attributed the accident to both mechanical issues and pilot mistakes.
John Hanna, The Canadian Press