{"id":96194,"date":"2025-05-24T04:48:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T23:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=96194"},"modified":"2025-05-24T03:42:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T22:12:53","slug":"private-jet-crashed-at-san-diego-six-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/24\/private-jet-crashed-at-san-diego-six-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Dead in Plane Crash at San Diego, Pilots and ATC Audio Reveals Details"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>SAN DIEGO-<\/strong> In the early hours of May 22, 2025, a private jet tragically crashed while on approach to <a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?s=San+Diego\">San Diego&#8217;s Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The accident occurred under poor weather conditions, and chilling air traffic control audio reveals the pilot&#8217;s calm demeanor until the final moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cessna Citation II, carrying six people, struck a residential area just two miles from the runway. Early investigations suggest that fatigue and limited landing alternatives may have played a role in the crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"Six Dead in Plane Crash at San Diego, Pilots and ATC Audio Reveals Details\" class=\"wp-image-96209\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965-50x33.webp 50w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965-1600x1067.webp 1600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965-450x300.webp 450w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965-1200x800.webp 1200w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_Citation_II-SP_N10LR_13999745965.webp 1620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: By Alan Wilson &#8211; Cessna Citation II\/SP &#8216;N10LR&#8217;, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=33925681<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-private-jet-crashed-in-san-diego\">Private Jet Crashed in San Diego<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On May 22, 2025, at approximately 3:45 AM, a 1985 <a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/tag\/cessna-citation\/\">Cessna Citation II<\/a>, registered as N666DS, crashed into the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, a military housing area near Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The jet, on approach to runway 28R, struck power lines, clipped a house, and crashed, damaging 10 homes, one completely destroyed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Six people were onboard, including Dave Shapiro, a 42-year-old music executive, pilot, and owner of the aircraft through Daviation LLC, and Daniel Williams, a former drummer for The Devil Wears Prada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Six presumed killed when small plane crashes into military homes in Murphy Canyon neighborhood in San Diego <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LIwKSYRh7G\">pic.twitter.com\/LIwKSYRh7G<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Nelvin Cepeda (@NelCepeda) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NelCepeda\/status\/1925701697457783217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 22, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>All are presumed dead, with eight ground injuries reported but no ground fatalities. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and <a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/tag\/faa\/\">Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)<\/a> are investigating.<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2025_San_Diego_Cessna_Citation_II_crash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The aircraft departed Teterboro Airport, New Jersey, at 11:15 PM EDT on May 21, stopped for 45 minutes to refuel at Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kansas, and continued to San Diego, a total flight time of nearly eight hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dense fog with half-mile visibility and a 200-foot cloud ceiling complicated the approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"Six Dead in Plane Crash at San Diego, Pilots and ATC Audio Reveals Details\" class=\"wp-image-94959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113-50x33.webp 50w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113-1600x1067.webp 1600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113-450x300.webp 450w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113-1200x800.webp 1200w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1620px-Cessna_CitationJet_CJ1_8735081113.webp 1620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: By bomberpilot &#8211; DSC_4192Uploaded by High Contrast, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=26686375<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pilot-s-final-words\">Pilot\u2019s Final Words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Air traffic control (ATC) recordings, published by VASAviation, provide a haunting insight into the pilot\u2019s final communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Business Jet Fatal Crash in San Diego Neighborhood in Bad Weather\" width=\"729\" height=\"410\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3C1RHOzJOxg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The pilot, identified as 42-year-old Dave Shapiro, a music executive and experienced aviator, was calm and composed throughout the exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He requested an updated weather report, noting, \u201cI want to see what I\u2019m in for here.\u201d Upon hearing the forecast, he responded, \u201cAlright, doesn\u2019t sound great, but we\u2019ll give it a go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the situation worsened, he asked about alternative airports, but conditions at nearby facilities offered no significant improvements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his final communication, he said, \u201cWe\u2019ll hopefully not see you\u2026 But we might have to.\u201d These words reflect both professionalism and the pressure of decision-making under fatigue and deteriorating conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shapiro was not a commercial pilot but was highly involved in aviation. He owned a flight school and had previously worked as an instructor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the passengers was former musician Daniel Williams, who shared photos from the plane on social media shortly before departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-EC-KJR_Cessna_551_Citation-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-EC-KJR_Cessna_551_Citation-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-EC-KJR_Cessna_551_Citation-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-EC-KJR_Cessna_551_Citation-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-EC-KJR_Cessna_551_Citation-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-EC-KJR_Cessna_551_Citation-750x500.jpg 750w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-EC-KJR_Cessna_551_Citation.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">By Mark Winterbourne &#8211; Flickr: EC-KJR, CC BY 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=15585773<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-decision-making-under-pressure\">Decision Making Under Pressure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The sequence of events indicates the possible influence of fatigue, commonly referred to in aviation as \u201cget-there-itis.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The flight involved nearly eight hours of overnight flying on a small jet, with limited rest opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike airline pilots, business jet crews often operate on irregular schedules and may not follow strict rest requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The crew&#8217;s decision to continue to San Diego despite worsening weather may have been shaped by a desire to complete the trip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While ATC audio shows that the pilot actively considered alternatives, all options presented similar visibility issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The timeline and flight pattern align with scenarios where fatigue impairs judgment, situational awareness, and reaction time, factors that the <a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/tag\/ntsb\/\">National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)<\/a> is likely to explore during the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">It looks like Daniel Williams, former drummer for The Devil Wears Prada, was on board the plane that crashed in San Diego this morning. Absolutely heartbreaking. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Roc5zx78rE\">pic.twitter.com\/Roc5zx78rE<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Cody Hanlon (@CodyLNG) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CodyLNG\/status\/1925606089258647702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 22, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This tragic accident echoes several previous incidents where human factors like exhaustion and pressure to land played a decisive role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until the investigation concludes, speculation remains limited, but aviation safety advocates will closely examine how these dynamics influenced this flight\u2019s outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-Bluelink_Jets_SE-RBY_Cessna_550_Citation_Bravo_15833872214-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-Bluelink_Jets_SE-RBY_Cessna_550_Citation_Bravo_15833872214-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-Bluelink_Jets_SE-RBY_Cessna_550_Citation_Bravo_15833872214-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-Bluelink_Jets_SE-RBY_Cessna_550_Citation_Bravo_15833872214-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-Bluelink_Jets_SE-RBY_Cessna_550_Citation_Bravo_15833872214-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-Bluelink_Jets_SE-RBY_Cessna_550_Citation_Bravo_15833872214-750x500.jpg 750w, https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/1080px-Bluelink_Jets_SE-RBY_Cessna_550_Citation_Bravo_15833872214.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo: By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia &#8211; Bluelink Jets, SE-RBY, Cessna 550 Citation Bravo, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=40219681<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The crash of the private jet, Cessna Citation II, in San Diego underscores the inherent risks of flying under fatigue and poor weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pilot&#8217;s steady voice in the ATC audio belies the complexity and pressure faced in the cockpit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As investigators work to determine the exact cause, early evidence points toward a mix of low visibility, pilot exhaustion, and limited alternative landing options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Join us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/s\/aviationa2z\" rel=\"nofollow\">Telegram Group\u00a0<\/a>for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMPLdrgsw_-jGAw?hl=en-IN&amp;gl=IN&amp;ceid=IN%3Aen\">Google News<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-aviation-a-2-z wp-block-embed-aviation-a-2-z\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"YnJBXF3kjJ\"><a href=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/11\/helicopter-crash-in-hudson-river-today\/\">Bell 206 Helicopter Crash in Hudson River Today, 6 Presumed Dead<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Bell 206 Helicopter Crash in Hudson River Today, 6 Presumed Dead&#8221; &#8212; Aviation A2Z\" src=\"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/11\/helicopter-crash-in-hudson-river-today\/embed\/#?secret=nb8nJqnPwj#?secret=YnJBXF3kjJ\" data-secret=\"YnJBXF3kjJ\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the early hours of May 22, 2025, a private jet tragically crashed while on approach to San Diego&#8217;s Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":96208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8577,6761,7307],"tags":[473,9826,212,295,4939,10441],"class_list":{"0":"post-96194","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-aviation-incident","8":"category-news","9":"category-usa-aviation-news","10":"tag-atc","11":"tag-aviation-incident","12":"tag-plane-crash","13":"tag-private-jet","14":"tag-san-diego","15":"tag-six-people-killed-in-crash"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/147"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96194"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96247,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96194\/revisions\/96247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}