Sum 41 Music Agent Among Those Killed in San Diego Plane Crash

In the early hours of Thursday morning, a private Cessna 550 business jet crashed into a San Diego military neighborhood, killing all six aboard and igniting a trail of destruction that left residents shaken but miraculously alive.

The plane, owned and piloted by music executive Dave Shapiro, struck power lines and slammed into a Navy housing area in Murphy Canyon just before 4 a.m. It had departed from Teterboro, New Jersey, made a fuel stop in Wichita, Kansas, and was attempting to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport when tragedy struck.

Thick fog and a faulty weather system at the destination airport created dangerous flying conditions. Air traffic control warned of visibility under half a mile and cloud cover at just 200 feet. “That doesn’t sound great, but we’ll give it a go,” the pilot responded—his last known transmission.

What followed was chaos. The crash triggered massive fires, with jet fuel pouring through streets, setting vehicles ablaze and leveling one home. Flames stretched for blocks.

All six onboard were killed. Among them: Shapiro, a key figure in the hard rock and metal music scene; Daniel Williams, former drummer for The Devil Wears Prada; and Celina Kenyon, a 36-year-old mother and photographer who had taken the late-night flight to be home for her daughter’s school day.

Despite the scale of destruction, no residents were killed. Firefighters, police, and local military families worked side-by-side to save lives.

“This could’ve been so much worse,” said Assistant Fire Chief Dan Eddy. “That no one on the ground died is a miracle.”

The crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.