Music Agent among Six Killed in Citation Crash

The crash of a Cessna Citation S550 into a residential neighborhood near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (KMYF) in San Diego early on May 22 killed all six occupants aboard, including music agent and Sound Talent Group co-founder Dave Shapiro, who was also a pilot, according to federal and media sources.

The business jet—N666DS—registered to Daviator LLC and operated privately, struck power lines at approximately 3:47 a.m. before crashing into the Murphy Canyon military housing neighborhood. “It struck one home and then quite a fair number of automobiles,” said NTSB senior accident investigator Eliott Simpson during a May 22 briefing. “There are fragments of the airplane underneath the power lines.” He confirmed that the wreckage was scattered across a large area.

According to the FAA and NTSB, the aircraft departed Teterboro Airport (KTEB) in New Jersey on Wednesday evening and stopped for fuel in Wichita before continuing toward San Diego. ADS-B and ATC data indicate that the jet was flying the RNAV 28R approach to Montgomery Field in IFR conditions and low visibility. The final recorded position placed the jet at the correct altitude before it descended below the glideslope.

“There’s plane everywhere,” San Diego fire rescue assistant chief Dan Eddy told The Los Angeles Times, describing the scene as a “gigantic debris field.” The resulting fire damaged at least 10 homes and more than a dozen vehicles. A military housing community, the neighborhood was evacuated, and at least eight residents suffered minor injuries.

The NTSB has dispatched a team of eight investigators and representatives from the aircraft manufacturer, Textron Aviation, and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada to document the site and oversee wreckage recovery. “We plan on spending today, tonight, and all of tomorrow on scene,” Simpson said Thursday afternoon. “There should be a preliminary report on our website in about two weeks.”

Shapiro, 42, was a pilot and flight instructor. He founded Sound Talent Group in 2018 following stints with United Talent Agency and the Agency Group, managing acts such as Sum 41 and Parkway Drive. Billboard described him as “an adventurous spirit,” noting his work as a pilot and founder of Velocity Aviation, a flight training, ferry flying, and aircraft sales and leasing company.

The identities of the other five victims have not been officially released. However, Sound Talent Group confirmed that three of its employees were among those onboard, including Shapiro. A tribute from the band The Devil Wears Prada also identified Daniel Williams, their former drummer, as one of those aboard the flight.

The aircraft was destroyed in the crash. A cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder may have been onboard, but NTSB officials had not confirmed their recovery as of the latest update.