The runway lights that would have helped guide a small jet into a San Diego airport in foggy weather before the plane crashed, killing all six aboard, hadn’t worked since 2022, investigators said. But it’s unclear whether the pilot who was based at the airport knew the lights were out service.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s issued its preliminary report Wednesday on the early morning crash of May 22 that also injured eight people on the ground. It confirmed that the Cessna came in too low as it approached the airport and struck power lines before the plane broke apart, crashing in a nearby neighborhood. The plane struck one home and that 20 vehicles were also damaged by the crash and ensuing fire.
The jet was carrying a music executive named Dave Shapiro and five others. No one in the neighborhood of U.S. Navy housing died, but eight people were treated for smoke inhalation from the fiery crash and non-life-threatening injuries after the crash near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport…