The music agency Sound Talent Group said Thursday that three of its employees, including co-founder Dave Shapiro, died on the private plane that crashed into a San Diego neighborhood.
Shapiro is listed as the owner of the plane and has a pilot’s licence, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Shapiro also owned a flight school called Velocity Aviation and a record label, Velocity Records, according to his LinkedIn page.
The agency did not share the names of the other two employees who died.
“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 agency said in a statement.
Sound Talent Group has represented artists including American pop band Hanson, American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton and Canadian rock group Sum 41. Hanson is perhaps best known for its earworm 1990s pop hit, MMMBop.
American rock bands such as rosecoloredworld and Concrete Castles and the Japanese heavy metal band, Nemophila, are signed to Shapiro’s Velocity Records.
Shapiro also owned a flight school, Velocity Aviation.
San Diego authorities earlier said two people had died. The total number of fatalities is unknown, but six people were on board the plane, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The private jet crashed early Thursday into a neighborhood of U.S. Navy-owned housing in San Diego during foggy weather, igniting at least one home and numerous vehicles parked on the street. The plane clipped power lines before slamming into the house, said Elliot Simpson with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Several people were injured while trying to flee after the crash just before 4 a.m. in Murphy Canyon, the largest neighborhood of Navy-owned housing in the country. Others were treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said.
Neighborhood hit hard
At least one home was destroyed with its front heavily burned and its roof partially collapsed. About 10 others suffered damage at the site where half a dozen vehicles were melted and scorched into burned shells.
Ariya Waterworth said she woke up to a “whooshing sound” and then saw a giant fireball outside. She screamed for help as firefighters arrived and helped her get out with her two children and their family dog.
One of the family’s cars was “completely disintegrated,” and the other had extensive damage. Her yard was littered with plane parts, broken glass and debris.
“I definitely do feel blessed because we’ve been spared,” she said.
San Diego police officer Anthony Carrasco said five people from a single family were taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation after evacuating to a nearby school. Another person was treated at a hospital for injuries sustained while climbing out of a window trying to flee. Two others were treated for minor injuries at the scene.
At least 100 residents were evacuated from the neighbourhood, police said, with surrounding blocks cordoned off with yellow police tape and checkpoints. Jet fuel rolled down Salmon Street hours after the crash. The smell of fuel lingered in the air while authorities worked to extinguish one stubborn car fire that sent smoke billowing up.
“I can’t quite put words to describe what the scene looks like, but with the jet fuel going down the street, and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.
Plane took off from New Jersey
The tracking site FlightAware shows Shapiro’s Cessna Citation II jet took off from Teterboro, N.J., Wednesday night and flew to Wichita, Kansas. Simpson said the plane made a fueling stop in Kansas before continuing on to San Diego. The New Jersey airport where the flight originated is about 10 kilometers from Manhattan and is an airfield frequently used by private and corporate jets.
Audio recordings included a brief transmission from the pilot calling out that he was on final approach to the Montgomery-Gibbs airport and was less than five kilometres out at 3:45 a.m. local time.
Rescuers help residents and pets escape
Christopher Moore, who lives one street over from the crash site, said he and his wife were awakened by a loud bang. They grabbed their three young boys and ran out of the house. On their way out of the neighborhood, they saw a car engulfed in flames.
“It was definitely horrifying for sure, but sometimes you’ve just got to drop your head and get to safety,” he said.
Police officers rescued multiple animals, including three husky puppies that were rolled away in a wagon. A few blocks away, families, including Moore’s, stood in a parking lot waiting to learn when they could return to their homes.
The weather may have played a role in the crash
The FAA said the NTSB will lead the investigation.
