A loud explosion woke up a quiet San Diego neighborhood in the silent, early hours of Thursday morning.
Chaos, fear, and heartache were caused when a burning business jet crashed into Murphy Canyon, a military housing neighborhood.
Dave Shapiro, a 42-year-old music business titan and co-founder of Sound Talent Group, was one of the six individuals slain.
In addition to being a music tycoon, Shapiro was a certified pilot with an unwavering love for flying. He is credited with helping to launch the careers of singers like Sum 41, Vanessa Carlton, and Hanson.
His trip ended tragically when his Cessna 550 crashed into electrical lines only two miles from its intended destination, crashing into houses, igniting cars, and forcing more than 100 occupants to evacuate into the misty night.
“The loss of our co-founder, coworkers, and friends has devastated us.” Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and all those affected by the tragedy of today. In a statement, Sound Talent Group expressed gratitude for their privacy throughout this period.
A nearly quarter-mile-long trail of devastation was left behind by the disaster, which happened at approximately 3:45 a.m. Jet fuel-fueled fires caused at least ten homes to sustain damage, a roof to collapse, and hours of dense smoke to fill the San Diego sky.
By mid-morning, it was evident that none of the six people on board the jet had survived, despite the police first confirming two deaths. Daniel Williams, the former drummer for the metalcore group The Devil Wears Prada, was one of them.
“No words. We owe everything to you. “I will always love you,” the band wrote on Instagram.
From the stage to the heavens
Only Shapiro’s passion for flying could rival his love of music.
He celebrated a recent check ride in a Citation 525 series jet by posting a picture of himself on Instagram in May 2020, showing off his FAA certifications as an Airline Transport Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor.
He wrote, “I had wanted to return to flight school for years.” “Even though my career is well established, I always want to learn new things.”
He founded Velocity Aviation, a flight school that provided instruction in helicopters, aerobatics, and even BASE jumping, as a result of that motivation. At the age of 22, Shapiro took an introductory flying lesson with his first discretionary income and fell in love with the sport, according to his company’s website.
With his aviation endeavors, Dave Shapiro divided his time between San Diego and Homer, Alaska, providing flights in both locations. He and his wife, Julia Pawlik Shapiro, lived together in the Alaskan village, according to internet posts.
In 2016, the couple married in a ceremony that reflected their mutual passion for exploration. They got married, got on a plane, and traveled to a far-off glacier in Denali National Park, where they landed on skis that were fastened to the wheels of the plane.
In a blog post, Julia recounted, “When I met Dave, we instantly bonded over the unconventional lifestyles we lead and our constant need for adventure.”
Shapiro was the registered owner of the 1985 Cessna S550, which was operated by DAVIATOR LLC, an Alaska-based company, and he had flown more than a million miles by 2025.
A terrifying Murphy Canyon dawn
When it crashed, the Cessna had taken off late Wednesday night from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, stopped in Wichita for fuel, and was on its way to San Diego.
The area was covered in fog when the plane completed its last descent. Barry Newman, an aviation lawyer, described the risk:
The pilot’s last communication was recorded on liveATC.net; he was on final approach, three miles from the runway.
“A pilot must call for a missed approach or divert to another airport if he descends to [673 feet] and he cannot see the runway,” Newman told ABC News.
Tragic events instead occurred. Jet fuel streaming down gutters, pieces under power lines, and a wing on a road were among the debris that poured down on the residential block. For hours, one car burned. As firefighters rushed to put out the fire, the stench of aviation gasoline permeated the air.
Assistant Fire Chief Dan Eddy stated that there was jet fuel everywhere and that the visibility was so bad that “you could barely see in front of you.”
Residents were huddled in pajamas at the hastily established evacuation center at Hancock Elementary, uncertain as to if their homes had survived. Christopher Moore, a veteran sailor, told the story of how he grabbed his three young youngsters and ran passed a burning car.
“It was absolutely terrifying,” he said to ABC News. However, there are instances when you simply must drop your head and seek refuge.
Raul Campillo, a city council member, commended the bravery of the locals:
“I’ve heard amazing tales of military families rescuing other military families from their homes, escaping fires, and leaping out of windows.”
Two planets suffer a terrible loss.
Shapiro’s passing creates a gap in the aviation and music industries. Generations of musicians who contributed to the development of pop and rock were represented by his agency, Sound Talent Group. In addition, Velocity Aviation served as evidence of his conviction in lifelong learning and development.
Whether on stage, in the cockpit, or doing a BASE jump, he lived life in motion and left a legacy of enthusiasm, ambition, and mentoring.
Although Thursday’s tragedy is a part of a national pattern of aviation catastrophes, the FAA notes that generally, 2025 has seen fewer crashes than prior years. However, the numbers mean little to the impacted families. The suffering is really intimate.
The inquiry is currently being led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which has called on anyone who has direct knowledge of the collision or footage to come forward.
