All victims of Thursday’s tragic plane crash in San Diego have been identified.
UPDATE (5/23/2025): The FAA confirmed late Thursday that six passengers were aboard the aircraft that crashed into a San Diego neighborhood earlier that day.
7 San Diego News revealed the names of four more plane crash victims in addition to Dave Shapiro and Daniel Williams, whose names were made public on Thursday. The outlet shared that the other victims were Kendall Fortner and Emma Huke, booking assistants for Shapiro’s Sound Talent Group. Also on the plane were Dominic Damien, a friend of Shapiro, and professional photographer Celina Kenyon.
Dan Baker, an NTSB investigator, spoke during a press conference Friday afternoon and shared preliminary investigation results. He said that there were no survivors on the plane and that there were no fatalities or serious injuries on the ground.
“The pilot did not report any problems to air traffic control and he did not declare an emergency,” Baker added, saying that the NTSB has recovered the “flight track data and air traffic audio as well as the automated dependent surveillance-broadcast data.”
The NTSB also discovered that the runway lights and flight path indicator light systems at Montgomery Airport were out of service at the time of the crash.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A private plane carrying at least four individuals clipped power lines and crashed into a home in San Diego Thursday morning. The crash left a trail of fuel, igniting a house and cars throughout the neighborhood, leading to the evacuation of nearly 100 residents.
The Sound Talent Group announced that their co-founder, Dave Shapiro, 42, was killed in the crash. The FAA said that Shapiro was listed as the owner of the aircraft and also had a pilot’s license, though it hasn’t been confirmed that he was flying the plane at the time of the accident.
STG issued a statement following the crash, saying, “We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends. Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy. Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time.”
Daniel Williams, a former drummer for the band The Devil Wears Prada, was also reportedly on board. Prior to the crash, Williams posted several Instagram stories showing the plane and him seated next to Shapiro in the co-pilot’s seat. His former band seemingly confirmed the news of his death with a post on social media, saying, “No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever.”
Sound Talent Group told the AP that three of their team members were on the aircraft when it crashed: Dave Shapiro and two employees. The names of those employees have not been released at the request of Sound Talent Group as next of kin are notified.
What caused the crash?
According to the Associated Press, the Cessna Citation II was en route from New Jersey to San Diego when it crashed into a military housing complex just two miles from the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport.
Witnesses state that the area was covered in heavy fog at the time of the accident. The official cause of the crash is yet to be determined.
