Pilot, all 5 passengers killed in San Diego plane crash

nvestigators look through the site where a small plane crashed into San Diego, California, residential street on May 22, 2025. Photo: AFP
The six people onboard a small plane that crashlanded in a California neighborhood amid dense fog were all killed, according to investigating authorities.

The Cessna 550 Citation, which federal records show belonged to music agent Dave Shapiro, struck a power line before plummeting into a residential area of San Diego at 3:47 am (1047 GMT) on Thursday, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

"The pilot and passengers were fatally injured," NTSB investigator Dan Baker told a press conference on Friday. He added that no one on the ground had been seriously hurt.

While Baker did not specify the number of fatalities, the US Federal Aviation Administration previously said the private plane had six people onboard.

The San Diego County medical examiner's office named three of the victims as Shapiro, 42, Emma Huke, 25, and Celina Kenyon, 36.

Music veteran Shapiro was a co-founder of Sound Talent Group, which has represented artists including Sum 41 and Vanessa Carlton.

The company told US media that two other members of its staff, booking assistants Huke and Kendall Fortner, were also killed in the crash.

"We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends. Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted," Sound Talent Group said in a statement.

Kenyon was a professional photographer and mother, according to her social media. Her father, Bryan Charles Feldman, told NBC7 she had chosen to fly home early with friends after a photo shoot rather than take a commercial plane so she could take her daughter to school the next day.

NBC7 identified the other victims as software engineer Dominic Damian and Daniel Williams, a former drummer for metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada.

"No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever," the band wrote in a tribute to Williams on Instagram.

In San Diego's Murphy Canyon neighborhood, at least 10 homes were hit by debris, while the site of the fiery crash was littered with charred remnants of cars and scattered fiberglass.

It was not immediately clear what caused the Cessna to come plunging into the bloc, setting several houses alight. The NTSB said the pilot had not reported any problems to air traffic control or declared an emergency.

Runway approach lights and an automated weather reporting system were not operational at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport at the time, according to the NTSB's Baker.

"We are trying to determine at this time if the airplane was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder," Baker said.

The NTSB said its preliminary investigation would take several weeks to complete.