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By Miriam Raftery
May 24, 2025 (San Diego) -- More details have emerged on the tragic crash of a Cessna plane into a military housing neighborhood near San Diego’s Murphy Canyon on May 22nd while attempting to land amid heavy fog at Montgomery Field.
All six people on board the plane died in the fiery crash. The pilot, Dave Shapiro, was the co-founder of the El Cajon-based music agency, Sound Talent group. Shapiro also owned Velocity Aviation based at Gillespie Field in El Cajon.
According to Velocity’s website, he was a certified flight instruction who had logged over a million miles with 15 years of flight experience and was a licensed transport pilot for multi-engine planes, as well as holding licenses for everything from flying helicopters to aerobatics.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the airport’s weather alert system and runway approach lights were not working at the time, though the cause of the crash has not yet been determined. Shapiro was flying home from New Jersey and had refueled in Kansas.
Taylor Guitars in El Cajon posted on Facebook “We’re deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend Dave Shapiro. Dave was an incredible talent and a passionate advocate for artists, a true cornerstone of our music community. His energy, vision, and generosity touched so many lives, including ours here at Taylor Guitars. Our hearts are with Emma, Kendal, Selina, Dom and Dan, and with everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working alongside Dave. Thank you, Dave, for the music, the memories and the impact you made. You’ll be profoundly missed.”
The other victims included two of the company’s employees, both in their 20s: Kendall Fortner, a booking agent and graduate of San Diego State University, and Emma Huke, a booking assistant from Orange County.
Daniel Williams, a former drummer for the metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada, also died in the crash. Ironically, Williams survived a mass shooting in Ohio back in 2019, escaping without injury.
The other two victims aboard the plane were Dominic Damian a software engineer from San Diego, and Celine Kenyon, a professional photographer
There were no deaths of residents or others on the ground, though at least two residents were transferred to a hospital for minor injuries including smoke inhalation.
The crash damaged two homes and destroyed around 10 more, also destroying numerous vehicles as jet fuel exploded, engulfing the area in fiery blaze.
Approximately 100 residents were displaced and evacuated to Miller Elementary School.
The tragedy brings back terrifying memories for residents of a Santee neighborhood, where a 2019 crash of a Cessna killed a UPS driver and destroyed two homes.
In both crashes, neighbors pulled together to rescue residents trapped in burning homes, risking their own lives to save others.
The Santee crash was blamed on pilot area, after the physician flying the small plane became disoriented amid cloudy weather conditions.
The FAA is investigating the cause of the deadly Murphy Canyon crash
Montgomery Field, owned by the city of San Diego, is one of the busiest airports in our region, NBC 7 reports, and is open 24/7, though the control tower is only manned from 6 a.m.to 9 p.m. After hours, pilots may land in uncontrolled air space, relying on an automated weather alert system.
But the weather system failed; CNN reports it gave conditions for a nearby airport instead that had visibility of a half mile and a cloud cover of 200 feet.
Shapiro's plane struck powerlines shortly before crashing.
The crash raises troubling questions.
Why did the approach lights and weather alert system fail, and how long had these not been operating?
Could six lives and devastation of a community been prevented, had the city-owned airport’s lights and weather alert system been fully functional?
Why did Shapiro, a highly experienced pilot and flight instructor, fly despite heavy fog, then announce in his final recorded words that he was going to try landing anyway?
Comments
Such a tragedy…