Non-functioning runway lights, foggy conditions and power lines appear to have factored into the May 22 plane crash that killed Christian rock drummer Daniel Williams, music executive Dave Shapiro and four other people in San Diego.
The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on Wednesday, saying the Cessna Citation S550 hit power lines about 90 feet from the ground as the plane made its descent toward Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
Investigators said runway lights that hadn’t worked since March 2022 would’ve helped guide the plane through less than optimal conditions had they been functioning.
According to the NTSB, a notice had been in effect informing pilots that the lights were out of service. Repairs and replacements had reportedly been delayed as airport operators awaited the conclusion of an environmental study.
Shortly before the plane began making its descent, the pilot acknowledged that conditions weren’t ideal, but radioed to air traffic control that he thought they’d “be alright.”
Minutes later, at 3:47 a.m., the private aircraft hit the power lines less than 2 miles from the airport and crashed into a nearby neighborhood. The plane broke apart, killing all six people onboard and injuring eight people on the ground.
Along with Williams and Shapiro, the plane’s passengers included Kendall Fortner and Emma Huke, booking assistants for Shapiro’s Sound Talent Group. The two others were identified as Shapiro’s longtime friend Dominic Damian and professional photographer Celina Kenyon, the latter of whom frequently photographed musical acts.
A Southern California home and 20 automobiles were also destroyed in the crash.
Investigators said they’re expecting to release a final report stating the official cause of the crash sometime next year.
FAA records show the plane was registered to Shapiro, those authorities have not confirmed whether he was the one flying at the time of the crash. Shapiro was a trained pilot with the highest level of certification issued in the U.S., and also operated an aviation school.
He and the others on the plane had been traveling back home to San Diego after visiting the East Coast. Shapiro and Williams had both been at Madison Square Garden two nights prior to see Pierce the Veil perform, according to the Bergen Record.
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