- Friday, May 23, 2025
The Cessna 550 aircraft had crashed into Murphy Canyon neighborhood in San Diego. Two other staffers of his music company also died in the crash
By: India Weekly
DAVE SHAPIRO, a reputed music industry executive and co-founder of San Diego-based Sound Talent Group (STG), died in a plane crash in San Diego, California, early Thursday (22).
The private jet had six people aboard, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration, and the crash happened at 3:45 am local time.
One of the dead was identified as Dave Shapiro, and STG claimed that the two other members of staff who were aboard the plane had also died.
“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” an STG spokesperson told US media.
The Cessna 550 aircraft had crashed into Murphy Canyon neighborhood in San Diego, destroying a home and setting more than a dozen cars on fire.
The residential area is largely military housing. San Diego is home to US Navy facilities, Marine Corps bases and Coast Guard stations.
San Diego Fire Department Assistant Chief Dan Eddy told reporters one house had been badly damaged, but that no one on the ground had been seriously hurt.
“When (the plane) hit the street, as the jet fuel went down, it took out every single car that was on both sides of the street,” he said.
The accident happened in thick fog when the plane, which had come via Kansas, was nearing the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
Investigators were combing the scene Thursday, picking through the scattered debris of the plane, which appeared to have broken into hundreds of pieces.
Bits of fiberglass were scattered among the twisted and charred remains of cars, and the smell of fuel hung in the air.
Shapiro cofounded STG in 2018 with Tim Borror and Matt Andersen.
The clients included rock bands such as Hanson, Pierce The Veil, Parkway Drive, Sum 41 and Vanessa Carlton.
The 42-year-old was also passionate about flying and had registered as a pilot, flight instructor and ground instructor, as per Federal Aviation Administration records.
It remains unclear if Shapiro was manning the control during the crash.
The crashed private jet was registered in Shapiro’s name, according to media reports.
