SAN DIEGO, USA – Dave Shapiro, a celebrated music talent agent, and Daniel Williams, former drummer for the band “The Devil Wears Prada,” were killed when a private plane struck a power line due to fog yesterday morning. The aircraft subsequently crashed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego, destroying a home.
The impacted house was engulfed in flames, and aviation fuel spilled into the streets, igniting fires in approximately 15 vehicles.
No one in the neighborhood was killed, but eight people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, including smoke inhalation and other traumas. One individual was injured while attempting to escape through a window, said police officer Antonio Carrasco.
Shapiro, co-founder of “Sound Talent Group,” and two employees were among the deceased, the agency confirmed. The former drummer of “The Devil Wears Prada” also perished in the crash.
“Sound Talent Group” represented artists such as American pop band “Hanson,” singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, and Canadian rock band “Sum 41.”
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there were six people on board the plane. Rescue teams are still on the scene of the accident.
Today we are all mourning the tragic loss of our longtime friend and booking agent Dave Shapiro. Dave was fearless in life, and tireless in his work, and the kind of friend you would want on your speed dial. Dave seemed to always be working on a new endeavor, or to be going on a… pic.twitter.com/HO7cm8Aew0
— HANSON (@hansonmusic) May 23, 2025
Social media reports indicate that Shapiro was piloting the aircraft while Williams was in the co-pilot’s seat. Debris from the 1985 Cessna 550 Citation plane was scattered over a wide area, including fragments beneath power lines and a section of a wing on the road behind houses, said Elliot Simpson of the National Transportation Safety Board.
David Shapiro, a 42-year-old titan of the music industry, perished in a San Diego plane crash this morning. The mogul, whose roster boasted heavyweights like Sum 41, Story of the Year, and Parkway Drive, leaves a void as loud as a dropped mic on an empty stage. pic.twitter.com/7Zns7g74UG
— Harvey Lynde (@Hermit_62) May 22, 2025
The house directly hit was destroyed, and about a dozen other homes were damaged in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, the largest U.S. Navy-owned housing complex in the country.
6/
— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) May 23, 2025
A Cessna 550 crashed in San Diego's Murphy Canyon on May 22, killing at least three, including music agent Dave Shapiro and ex-drummer Daniel Williams. #Plane_Crash
Dense fog may have contributed; the plane hit a power line, igniting 15 homes.
Six were onboard; total… https://t.co/OMGAcSLmXQ pic.twitter.com/awfeH6KlDS
Injured residents were forced to leave their homes, and at least 100 residents were evacuated. Officials could not specify when it would be safe for people to return.
According to its flight path, the plane was en route to Montgomery Field Airport in San Diego when it struck power lines approximately 3.2 kilometers southeast of the airport.
An investigation is underway.
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Source: Novosti, Foto: AP / Gregory Bull