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A preliminary investigation into a May plane crash which claimed the lives of six people, including The Devil Wears Prada drummer Daniel Williams, provided more insight into the cause of the fatal collision.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report indicated that not only were faulty runway lights an issue, but weather may have affected the pilot’s ability to land safely at the airport near San Diego, Calif.
“The controller informed the pilot that the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) at MYF (Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport) was out of service and the pilot acknowledged that he was aware of that,” the report stated. The runway lights had not been working since March 28, 2022.
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Drummer Daniel Williams of The Devil Wears Prada was one of six people killed in May plane crash. (Chelsea Lauren/WireImage/AP Photo)
MYF is a tower-controlled airport between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., according to the report, and operates as an uncontrolled airport during the remaining hours of the day.
The pilot, who was approved to fly the Cessna S550 single-pilot aircraft on Dec. 15, 2024, discussed “alternate airport weather conditions with the controller in the event he had to perform a missed approach,” according to the report.
Weather conditions at Marine Corp Air Station Miramar (NKS), roughly four miles north of the airport, were described as calm wind, with ½ mile visibility and an indefinite 200-foot ceiling.
The pilot allegedly stated he would notify Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control of his selection for an alternate airport, but did not do so during the remainder of the flight.
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“When the airplane was about 10 mi northeast of NESTY, the controller asked the pilot if he was going to ‘make your descent’ and asked if he would like vectors to the south. The pilot replied, ‘I think we’ll be alright,’” the report stated.
Authorities work the scene of a house where a small plane crashed into a San Diego neighborhood, setting several homes on fire and forcing evacuations along several blocks early Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Investigators comb through the site where a small plane crashed on a San Diego, California, residential street on May 22, 2025. (SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP)
“The controller informed the pilot that he was 5 miles from NESTY and instructed them to cross NESTY at or above 3,800 ft msl, and that he was cleared the RNAV approach to runway 28R at MYF, which the pilot acknowledged.”
The pilot then made a position call that he was at three miles on the approach, followed by “the sound of the microphone button being keyed seven times, consistent with an attempt to activate the pilot-controlled runway lighting.”
Roughly 2.9 nautical miles from the airport, the Cessna was flying too low for the runway at an altitude of about 1,190 feet msl over PALOS. The minimum crossing altitude was listed at or above 1,380 feet msl.
The crash, which happened before 4 a.m., left a massive debris field and damaged a number of homes. (SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP)
The first identified point of contact was roughly 1.8 nm from the runway when the aircraft damaged power transmission lines which were 90-95 feet above the ground, the NTSB stated.
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Portions of the plane were located about 200 feet downrange of the lines, with a debris field reaching more than one mile away on a residential street. The airplane impacted one residential structure and 20 vehicles, which were damaged or destroyed by impact or post-impact fire.
The airplane was not equipped with a flight data recorder. A cockpit voice recorder was recovered from the wreckage, the NTSB said.
Dave Shapiro, a music industry executive in the heavy metal and hard rock scene, was also killed in the plane crash. (Stephanie Siau/Sound Talent Group)
“The repairs of the affected RAI lighting components and replacement of the light system have been delayed awaiting completion of an environmental study. All other runway lighting was operable at the time of the accident,” NTSB said in the report.
Dave Shapiro, a music industry executive in the heavy metal and hard rock scene, and drummer Daniel Williams were among those killed in the crash. Eight people reported minor injuries on the ground.
Shapiro had a pilot’s license and was listed as the owner of the plane that crashed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. He was among the six people killed in the crash, along with two employees, the music agency Sound Talent Group confirmed at the time.
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“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,” the music agency he co-founded, Sound Talent Group, wrote in a statement.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.