Waking up to the sound of an explosion isn't how anyone in Murphy Canyon expected to start their morning. But that’s exactly what happened. A business jet, a Cessna 550 Citation, literally tore through a neighborhood of Navy housing. It happened in the pre-dawn darkness, around 3:45 a.m., when most families were sound asleep.
Six people are dead. It's a tragedy that has rocked the local music community. Honestly, the details coming out of the investigation are enough to make any frequent flyer feel a bit uneasy.
The plane crash San Diego today is being scrutinized not just for pilot error, but for a systemic failure of airport infrastructure that sounds like something out of a bad movie.
The Night Everything Went Wrong
Dave Shapiro wasn’t just some guy. He was a powerhouse in the music industry, a co-founder of Sound Talent Group. He was also the one flying the plane. On board were his employees and friends, including Daniel Williams, the former drummer for the metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada.
They were coming in from Teterboro, New Jersey. Long flight. They’d stopped in Wichita to fuel up. By the time they reached San Diego, they were likely exhausted. Federal rules for commercial pilots are strict about rest. Private pilots? Not so much.
The weather was "soupy." That’s the best way to describe the thick marine layer that rolls into San Diego. Visibility was down to a quarter-mile in some spots.
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Why the Lights Stayed Dark
Here is the part that’s hard to wrap your head around. The pilot, Dave Shapiro, was actually based out of Montgomery-Gibbs. He knew the place. As he approached, he reportedly keyed his mic seven times. That’s the standard procedure to trigger the runway lights at a small airport like this.
Nothing happened.
The NTSB later confirmed that those specific alignment lights hadn't worked since 2022. They were waiting on an environmental study before they could be fixed. Two years. Imagine trying to land a jet in a fog bank without the very lights designed to guide you.
The Impact on Murphy Canyon
The plane didn't just crash; it disintegrated. It clipped high-voltage power lines first. This happened about two miles out from the runway.
Fragments of the wing were found on the road behind homes. Then the main fuselage hit. It plowed into a residential block, taking out a stone wall and an entire truck.
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One home was completely leveled by the fire.
"All I could see was fire," said Ben McCarty, a resident who had to scramble over a back fence with his kids and dogs while jet fuel literally rolled down the street like a river of lava.
Miraculously, nobody on the ground died. Eight people were hospitalized, mostly for smoke inhalation or injuries from jumping out of windows to escape the flames. It’s a bit of a miracle given that the crash happened in a densely populated military housing area.
Investigating the Plane Crash San Diego Today
The NTSB investigation is looking at three major factors:
- Fatigue: The pilot had been flying through the night on a cross-country trek.
- Infrastructure: The automated weather station at Montgomery-Gibbs was down due to a power surge. The runway lights were broken.
- Altitude: The plane was flying at about 60 feet when it hit the power lines. It should have been at least 200 feet higher.
It's a "classic" approach accident. That's what investigators call it. It’s that desperate attempt to find the runway in bad weather when you’re tired and the tools you usually rely on aren't there.
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The pilot was actually talking to controllers at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station because his own airport's weather gear was fried. He even debated diverting to a different airport. But then he said, "I think we’ll be alright."
Those were some of the last words recorded.
What This Means for Local Residents
If you live in Tierrasanta or near any of San Diego’s municipal airports—Gillespie, Montgomery-Gibbs, or Palomar—this is a wake-up call. The safety systems we assume are always "on" are sometimes caught in bureaucratic red tape.
The city of San Diego and the FAA share responsibility for these facilities. While the FAA handles the "navigational aids," the city owns the land. This finger-pointing usually happens after a disaster, but the residents in Murphy Canyon are the ones left with the charred remains of their street.
Taking Action for Air Safety
For those living under flight paths, there isn't much you can do about a plane's mechanical state, but you can be aware of the infrastructure around you.
- Monitor Airport NOTAMs: Pilots use "Notices to Air Missions" to see what equipment is broken. You can actually check these public records to see if the airport near your house has failed safety gear.
- Advocate for Maintenance: The two-year delay for an environmental study on light repairs is a point of contention. Local community planning groups often have a say in airport operations.
- Emergency Preparedness: Because jet fuel fires spread fast, having a clear evacuation route from your backyard—not just your front door—is vital in these specific neighborhoods.
This crash wasn't just a freak accident. It was a chain of events. A broken light, a power surge, a foggy night, and a tired pilot. When those links connect, tragedy follows.
The NTSB will take about a year to release the final report. Until then, the residents of Murphy Canyon are left watching the sky, wondering if the next plane overhead has all its lights on.