A private plane clipped power lines before crashing into a home early Thursday in San Diego, killing the co-founder of a music talent agency and two of its employees and igniting cars in a neighborhood of U.S. Navy-owned housing.
The Sound Talent Group said co-founder Dave Shapiro died in the crash. He is listed as the plane's owner and has a pilot's license, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The talent agency did not provide the names of the other employees.
At least 100 residents were moved to a nearby elementary school serving as an evacuation center, the San Diego Police Department said.
The plane was headed from New Jersey to San Diego after a fueling stop in Kansas. It crashed about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from San Diego's Montgomery-Gibbs Executive airport.
The total number of deaths is still unknown
San Diego officials had said earlier that two people died in the crash, but the National Transportation Safety Board now says the number of deaths is unknown. The FAA said six people were on board the plane.
The plane crashed into Murphy Canyon, the largest neighborhood of U.S. Navy-owned housing in the nation, during foggy weather, igniting at least one home and numerous vehicles parked on the street. The NTSB said the plane hit power lines before crashing.
Assistant San Diego Fire Chief Dan Eddy said the fog was thick: “You could barely see in front of you.”
Several people were injured while trying to flee after the crash, and others were treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said.
On the ground, a horrific scene
At least one home was destroyed with its front heavily burned and its roof partially collapsed. About 10 others suffered damage. Half a dozen vehicles were melted and scorched into burned shells.
Jet fuel rolled down the street and the smell of it lingered in the air while authorities worked to extinguish one stubborn car fire that sent smoke billowing up.
Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the crash site, said he and his wife were awakened by a loud bang, and he saw smoke out the window. The couple grabbed their three young boys and ran out of the house. They saw a car in flames on their way out of the neighborhood.
Police officers rescued multiple animals, including three husky puppies that were rolled away in a wagon.
Agency's co-founder also had a record label
The Sound Talent Group, co-founded by Shapiro, has represented artists including American pop band Hanson, American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, and Canadian rock group Sum 41. Hanson is perhaps best known for its earworm 1990s pop hit, “MMMBop.”
Shapiro also owns Velocity Records, the label for American rock bands such as rosecoloredworld and Concrete Castles and the Japanese heavy metal band, Nemophila.
Shapiro also owned a flight school, Velocity Aviation.
The flight started outside Manhattan
According to the NTSB, the plane was a Cessna Citation II jet. The flight tracking site FlightAware said it was scheduled to arrive at the Montgomery-Gibbs airport in San Diego at 3:47 a.m. from the small Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas.
Wichita's airport director said the plane had made a fueling stop there.
The flight originated Wednesday night in Teterboro, New Jersey, according to FlightAware. That airport is about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from Manhattan and is frequently used by private and corporate jets.
Planes have crashed in other San Diego neighborhoods
In October 2021, a twin-engine plane plowed into a San Diego suburb, 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 slammed into a house in San Diego’s University City neighborhood, causing an explosion that killed four people inside. The Marine Corps blamed the crash on mechanical failure and human error.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
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