Dave Shapiro Obituary, Death; – The crash of a Cessna Citation S550 into a residential area near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (KMYF) in San Diego early on May 22 resulted in the deaths of all six individuals on board, including music agent and co-founder of Sound Talent Group, Dave Shapiro, who was also a licensed pilot, as reported by federal and media sources.
The business jet—N666DS—was registered to Daviator LLC and operated privately. It collided with power lines at approximately 3:47 a.m. before crashing into the Murphy Canyon military housing neighborhood. “It struck one home and then quite a fair number of automobiles,” stated NTSB senior accident investigator Eliott Simpson during a briefing on May 22. “There are fragments of the airplane underneath the power lines.” He confirmed that the wreckage was dispersed over a wide area.
As per the FAA and NTSB, the aircraft took off from Teterboro Airport (KTEB) in New Jersey on Wednesday evening and made a fuel stop in Wichita before proceeding to San Diego. ADS-B and ATC data suggest that the jet was executing the RNAV 28R approach to Montgomery Field under IFR conditions and low visibility. The last recorded position indicated that the jet was at the appropriate altitude before it descended below the glideslope.
“There’s plane everywhere,” remarked San Diego fire rescue assistant chief Dan Eddy to The Los Angeles Times, characterizing the scene as a “gigantic debris field.” The ensuing fire caused damage to at least 10 homes and over a dozen vehicles. The neighborhood, which is a military housing community, was evacuated, and at least eight residents sustained minor injuries.
The NTSB has sent a team of eight investigators along with representatives from the aircraft manufacturer, Textron Aviation, and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada to document the crash site and supervise the recovery of wreckage. “We plan on spending today, tonight, and all of tomorrow on scene,” Simpson mentioned on Thursday afternoon. “A preliminary report should be available on our website in about two weeks.”
Shapiro, 42, was both a pilot and a flight instructor. He was the founder of Sound Talent Group.
