A small jet crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, killing multiple people and leaving a trail of torched debris. Here's how the tragedy unfolded
In the stillness of night, a quiet, tree-lined street in a San Diego neighborhood was plunged into chaos when a plane clipped a power line and crashed – turning cars into fireballs and sending residents fleeing in a haze of smoke and confusion. The pilot of the plane, a Cessna 550 business jet, had just told air traffic controllers although the weather wasn't good, they would continue with landing, according to air traffic control audio recorded by LiveATC.net. "I just want to see what I'm in for here," the pilot told a controller when asking about weather conditions at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. An automated weather system there had not been working for more than a day, so the controller reported poor conditions from another nearby airport – visibility of a half mile and a cloud ceiling of 200 feet. "All right, that doesn't sound great but we'll give it a go," the pilot responded. There was no sign of any problem, and no emergency was declared. Pilots are allowed to descend to observe actual weather conditions, but are limited to certain altitudes. The plane was at 500 feet at the last point recorded by the open-source aviation tracking siteADS-B Exchange. The absolute minimum altitude allowed to check out the weather was 673 feet. It's not clear why the plane was so low or if the pilot was aware of his altitude. It hit power lines and crashed into the homes moments later. Six people were onboard the flight, officials said, and when asked if anyone on the plane survived, San Diego Fire Assistant Chief Dan Eddy answered: "I don't know on that point, but no, I don't believe so." Eight people in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood – a military housing community – were injured, including two treated for minor injuries at the scene and six others who received medical attention,police said. Responding fire crews and police officers sprinted through thick fog in a race against the encroaching flames. After hitting the power line the plane slammed into a home and left a trail of debris along the street, spilling fuel that sparked a chain of fires. Firefighters went door to door, urgently evacuating residents – parents clutching infants, families half-asleep. One resident toldCNN affiliate KFMBthey were jolted awake by a thunderous boom, looked outside, and saw a "fireball going down the street." As his wife grabbed their dogs and children, he ran to help evacuate the family whose home was directly struck by the plane. "I ended up grabbing two of the kids over the fence, took them over to the neighbors, came back, we grabbed the ladder, got the wife out, got the two dogs out, got the husband out." Another resident told KFMB the moment he opened his door, he saw his neighbor's car explode. "First thing I do is run upstairs, grab my children, my wife and I'm in my underwear. I just walk out," he said. "We ended up helping a few neighbors get out. That's all that we could do" The destruction stretched for at least a quarter mile down the residential street, where several cars caught fire and others several blocks away from the main crash site were damaged. "I woke up to what I thought was an earthquake," a nearby neighbor toldCNN affiliate KCBS/KCAL."My kids woke up as well, they looked out the window and started screaming. My whole front area was on fire. We were trapped in our home and couldn't get out." Later Thursday, as the full scale of damage came into view, officials inspected the skeleton of a home, ravaged by the plane's impact, which gouged a hole in its side and crushed the roof onto a car beneath. The thick stench of jet fuel hung in the air as crews combed the wreckage for possible clues to the cause of the crash. Between the charred remains of vehicles laid a yellow body bag, a somber reminder of the tragedy's toll. It's a "miracle" none of the fatalities involved residents in the neighborhood, Eddy, the assistant fire chief, said. "When I was coming on scene, I did not expect that same outcome as I got here," he said. "I don't know exactly how they got out, but I do know that neighbors helped them get out, and that's the beauty of what I love in this neighborhood. Military looking out for one another. They did exactly what they did to try to help each other." David Shapiro, one of the cofounders of music agency Sound Talent Group, died in the crash, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. Shapiro represented some of the most well-known international hard rock, punk and indie bands. "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dave Shapiro and his two colleagues," a spokesperson for the National Independent Talent Organization, a trade organization representing independent talent agencies and managers across the country, told CNN in a statement. "Dave was a visionary in the music industry," the statement said. Shapiro, who had a pilot's license, owned the aircraft under a company named "Daviator LLC,"according to FAA records. Emma Huke, a 25-year-old employee of Sound Talent Group, was identified as another victim of the crash, according to the medical examiner's office. The agency said a third employee also died in the crash, but did not name them, The Associated Press reported Thursday. CNN reached out to Sound Talent Group for more information. The former drummer for the metal band The Devil Wears Prada was also killed in the crash. The bandposted photosof Daniel Williams on its Instagram page with the caption, "No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever." The Devil Wears Prada's management company, Tandem Management Co., posted a statement reacting to Williams' death, writing, "His passion and drive propelled TDWP to incredible heights, and the band wouldn't be what it is today without his influence." Celina Kenyon, 36, a mother and professional photographer, also died in the crash, according to the medical examiner's office. A family statement shared by her father, Bryan Charles Feldman, describes her as an "amazing mother, daughter, sister, grand-daughter, partner and friend." Kenyon decided to fly home to San Diego on a late night private flight rather than a commercial flight so she could get home early to take her daughter to school, according to the statement. She had been on a trip to photograph and support some of her longtime friends. "Celina has always been loved and respected in her professional photography career and beyond. Family meant everything to her," the statement reads. "Our family is devastated beyond these words. The world has lost a beautiful bright light." Feldman added Kenyon's love and selflessness for humanity and the planet "meant everything to her." Kenyon's father tells CNN she is "so loved and so missed." Scott Wahl, San Diego police chief, said he was struggling to describe the scene his crews encountered when they arrived. "I can't quite put words to describe what this scene looked like but with the jet fuel running down the streets and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see," he said during a news conference. Footage from the immediate aftermath captured mothers and fathers clutching children on their hips, running through the mist of water dousing the flames, while frightened dogs scrambled alongside them. The San Diego Humane Society has taken in 36 pets, including dogs, at least one cat, five geckos and a 20-gallon fish tank for emergency boarding from families impacted by the crash, itsaid on social media. The organization's medical team gave several animals decontamination baths to clean off jet fuel. The National Transportation Safety Board is at the scene documenting the crash site and plans to move the airplane to a secure location on Saturday, said Eliott Simpson, a senior aviation accident investigator. The jet departed from Teterboro, New Jersey, Wednesday night at about 11:15 p.m., making a fuel stop in Wichita, Kansas, before crashing, according to Simpson. Two systems were out of service prior to the crash, Dan Baker, the NTSB's investigator in charge, said at a Friday news conference. An automated weather reporting system experienced a technical glitch before the accident, so the pilot and air traffic controllers relied on other sources, including another airport 4 miles away, to get information about the wind, visibility and cloud cover. A lighting system for the runway was also out of service, according to a notice to airmen posted before the crash. The airplane was not equipped with a flight data recorder and officials said while maintenance records suggested it was capable of having a cockpit voice recorder, they are still trying to determine if a functioning recorder was on board, Baker said. A preliminary report will be published on the NTSB website within 30 days and a final report will be released in about 12-24 months. "I feel for the families of those on the plane and what they're going through right now," Eddy said during Thursday's news conference. "It's tragic to see (the wreckage) … whether you're involved or not, just normal citizens that are here, they're going to remember this the rest of their lives." CNN's Chelsea Bailey, Aaron Cooper, Pete Muntean, Stephanie Elam, Matthew J. Friedman, Graham Hurley, Taylor Galgano, and Zoe Sottile contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com
A small jet crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, killing multiple people and leaving a trail of torched debris. Here's how the tragedy...
