Former Drummer of The Devil Wears Prada Daniel Williams Dies in San Diego Plane Crash

A Cessna 550 crashed near San Diego's Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport on May 22. Six people died when the pilot tried to land in thick fog. The runway lights and the weather warning systems weren't working. 

The crash claimed music executive Dave Shapiro, 42; ex-Devil Wears Prada drummer Daniel Williams; Sound Talent Group workers Kendall Fortner, 24, and Emma Huke, 25; photographer Celina Marie Rose Kenyon, 36; and Dominic Damian, 41.

Dan Baker, the leader of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation, spoke to People. A power surge had knocked out the airport's weather monitoring system. The pilot relied on Marine Corps station data: "wind calm, one-half mile visibility, and 200-foot ceiling."

"Doesn't sound great, but we'll give it a go," the pilot said in his final words to air traffic control. At 3:45 a.m., the plane hit power lines two miles short of the runway.

Police moved 100 residents away from their homes after the crash. Ten houses sustained damage, but ground injuries were minor according to NBC San Diego.

Kenyon's father, Bryan Charles Feldman, told ABC10 his daughter chose the late-night private flight to make it home for her child's school drop-off.

The FAA had warned about the broken runway lights. The plane lacked a flight data recorder, and teams are still searching for signs of a cockpit voice recorder.

In 2018, Shapiro started Sound Talent Group, working with acts like Sum 41, Pierce the Veil, and Parkway Drive. Alternative Press founder Mike Shea told The Gleaner: "In this music industry, there are just too many people ripping people off and using people. Dave was not like that."

The NTSB will release its first findings within 30 days. However, the full investigation could take up to two years.