All passengers confirmed dead after California plane crash
On Thursday, a private plane crashed into a neighbourhood in San Diego, destroying and damaging several cars and homes. According to US authorities, all six people on board died.
Sunday 25 May 2025 11:34, UK
All six people on board a plane that crashed in San Diego have died, investigators have said.
They also highlighted a number of issues that may have contributed to the incident, including the foggy weather conditions.
US music agent Dave Shapiro was among those killed when the private jet went down in Murphy Canyon, San Diego California, on Thursday.
Investigator Dan Baker of the National Transportation Safety Board said runway lights were out at the time of the incident, and a weather alert system also wasn't working when the pilot made the decision to try to land.
The twin-engine Cessna Citation, on its approach to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, clipped power lines before crashing, he said.
Before this, the pilot acknowledged weather conditions were not ideal and debated diverting to a different airport while talking to an air traffic controller, according to audio posted by LiveATC.net.
The Federal Aviation Administration had posted a notice that lights were not working, but it is not clear whether the pilot was aware.
He is heard saying, "doesn't sound great, but we'll give it a go", to an air traffic controller. Officials have not said who was flying.
The plane crashed two miles (3.2km) from the airport.
The six people killed
Dave Shapiro, 42, was listed as the owner of the plane and had a pilot's licence.
Mr Shapiro himself got into the music industry after playing in a band he founded with friends while in high school, called Count With Stars. But it was the connections he made that made him successful.
Sound Talent Group, the music agency he co-founded in 2018, has represented rock, punk and metal groups and artists including Sum 41, Dave Navarro, Bush, Lamb Of God and Black Stone Cherry.
Pierce The Veil, another artist on their roster, paid tribute on social media, writing: "We lost our longtime agent, manager and dear friend Dave Shapiro in a tragic plane accident on Thursday morning, along with other close colleagues and friends.
"It's hard to put into words how much this man meant to so many of us. He made a profound impact in such a short time and touched countless lives around the world."
Kendall Fortner, 24, and Emma Huke, 25, worked for Sound Talent Group as booking agents, the agency said after confirming both women were on the plane.
Ms Fortner "was hooked on music" from a young age thanks to her father, who took her to concerts, and as a teenager showed interest in pursuing it as a career, the agency said.
Ms Huke, too, knew from a young age that she wanted to work in the industry. "There was nothing Emma loved more than live music," the agency said.
Daniel Williams was a former drummer for The Devil Wears Prada, a popular Ohio metalcore band listed on Sound Talent Group's roster.
"No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever," the band said in a tribute shared on Instagram.
When Williams "was in the band, that's when they broke out", said Mike Shea, founder of Alternative Press Magazine.
Photographer Celina Kenyon, 36, was another passenger, according to the coroner's office in San Diego. A spokesperson for Sound Talent Group said she was not an employee.
Her father, Euphoria actor Bryan Charles Feldman, said in a statement paying tribute that she was deeply loved by friends and family, including her daughter and her partner.
She had been travelling "to photograph and support" some longtime friends, Feldman said, and went on the late-night private flight rather than fly commercial so she could get home in time to take her daughter to school.
"The world has lost a beautiful bright light," he said.
Dominic Christopher Damian, 41, was also killed in the crash, the coroner's office confirmed.
A martial arts school in San Diego, The Training Center, said Mr Damian trained there and shared several posts paying tribute on Instagram.
The gym is hosting an open-mat session in his memory Monday.
'You could barely see'
The aircraft had taken off from Teterboro, New Jersey, around 11.15pm local time Wednesday, and it made a fuel stop in Kansas before continuing to San Diego.
This schedule would not have been allowed for an airliner under federal rules, but these do not apply to private planes.
Assistant San Diego Fire Department chief Dan Eddy said the fog had been so thick at the time of the crash that "you could barely see in front of you".
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The fire ignited by the impact of the plane damaged nearby homes and vehicles, but nobody on the ground was killed or seriously injured. Eight people were treated for minor injuries.
Following the crash, the San Diego Humane Society has been retrieving lost animals, and decontaminating dogs exposed to jet fuel.
The group said it had taken in 22 animals, including 16 contaminated dogs and puppies.