Small plane hit power lines before deadly San Diego crash, NTSB confirms
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials confirmed Friday that a small plane that plummeted into a U.S. Navy-owned residential neighborhood in San Diego early Thursday, incinerating more than a dozen nearby homes and cars, hit high-tension power lines while approaching the airport for landing.
The aircraft, a Cessna 550 Citation business jet, crashed around 3:45 a.m. in the Murphy Canyon neighborhood, killing all six people on board, according to Dan Baker, the NTSB investigator in charge.
While the identities of those killed have not yet been confirmed by authorities, Fox News Digital learned music executive Dave Shapiro and drummer Daniel Williams died in the crash.
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After departing from Teterboro, New Jersey, the flight made a stop in Wichita, Kansas, and was inbound to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
The plane was approaching the airport's runway when it struck the power lines.
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Baker said the male pilot did not report any problems to air traffic control and did not declare an emergency.
NTSB investigators determined the automated surface observing system, which provides airport weather conditions to pilots, was "inoperative" at the airport at the time of the accident due to "an unrelated power surge."
Air traffic control provided the pilot the weather conditions at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar before he began the approach to Montgomery Airport, Baker said.
The weather at Miramar, which is four miles north of Montgomery Airport, was briefed as wind calm, with a half-mile of visibility and a 200-foot ceiling.
San Diego Plane Crash Kills Rock Musician, Influential Music Exec
NTSB investigators also determined there were notices to air mission, also called NOTAMs, in effect at the time of the accident that stated the runway's precision approach path indicator and approach light system with runway alignment indicator lights at the airport were "out of service."
While the plane did not have a flight data recorder, Baker said a cockpit voice recorder may have been installed.
Pilot Killed After Small Plane Crashes Into California Neighborhood
Wreckage recovery will be done Friday afternoon, concluding the on-scene portion of the investigation.
"We will continue to investigate pilot qualifications, training, flight history and other human factors that may have been involved in the accident," Baker said. "We will investigate the airplane's maintenance history and flight performance, and we will continue to investigate any other environmental issues that may have been a factor in the accident."
FAA records show Shapiro was the plane's owner and held a pilot's license, though it is unclear if he was flying the aircraft at the time of the crash.
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Officials said only eight injuries were reported on the ground due to the swift action of military families helping each other escape homes and jump from windows.
About 100 residents were displaced. Liberty Military Housing and the Red Cross are helping residents find accommodations.
NTSB regional investigators, the Federal Aviation Administration, Textron Aviation and Williams International Engines are assisting with the investigation.
Air traffic control and weather specialists from the NTSB are assisting remotely.Original article source: Small plane hit power lines before deadly San Diego crash, NTSB confirms
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USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
Hegseth stripping Harvey Milk's name off Navy ship is weak and insecure
Hegseth stripping Harvey Milk's name off Navy ship is weak and insecure | Opinion Nothing says indomitable warrior quite like, 'I'm afraid of this boat's name.' Show Caption Hide Caption Navy to change name of USNS Harvey Milk oil tanker The U.S. Navy will be renaming the USNS Harvey Milk oil tanker, named after Navy veteran and first openly gay elected California official. In a display of infantile weakness, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the U.S. Navy to remove iconic gay rights activist and Korean War veteran Harvey Milk's name from a naval ship. A defense official told the ship renaming was intentionally announced during Pride Month, presumably because faux tough guys like Hegseth and others in the Trump administration mistakenly equate toughness with being a complete (expletive). In a statement, a Pentagon spokesman said: 'Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the commander in chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos.' Hegseth's plan to scrub Harvey Milk's name from a ship is peak insecurity The 'warrior ethos,' Secretary Hegseth? Are you an insecure 12-year-old boy? Nothing says indomitable warrior quite like, 'I'm afraid of this boat's name.' Opinion: Musk calls Trump's bill an 'abomination.' I hate it when our two weird dads fight. A true warrior would be familiar with American history and would know that Milk served as a U.S. Navy operations officer on rescue submarines during the Korean War, then went on to become the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. He was serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors when he and the city's mayor were assassinated in 1978. Milk served in the Korean War and earned his place in history A true warrior would recognize that U.S. soldiers throughout history have proudly served, fought, and died for the rights of all Americans to speak and live freely. A true warrior would be appalled to read the statement Milk's nephew Stuart Milk, who chairs the Harvey Milk Foundation, had to release in response to Hegseth's pathetic renaming plan, saying of the slain activist: 'His legacy has stood as a proud and bright light for the men and women who serve in our nation's military – including those who have served on the USNS Harvey Milk – and a reminder that no barriers of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or physical infirmity will restrain their human spirit.' Hegseth apparently sees naval ship names as 'woke' The New York Times reported that there are other ships named after civil rights leaders that might be renamed under Hegseth's feeble leadership. The names include Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Harriet Tubman and Cesar Chavez. Make no mistake that behind these decisions is an administration limply fighting back against any incursion on the power of straight, white men, wholly unaware that people with real power don't need to exert their will on others. Announcing that you're stripping the name of a gay rights activist from a Navy ship at the start of Pride Month is, of course, a transparent provocation. To insecure, whiny, entitled men who spend their days listening to other insecure, whiny, entitled men, it's a show of strength. It's something they can smirk about as they exchange awkward high-fives. Opinion: Joe Biden's decency will always outshine Donald Trump's cruelty Hegseth and others in the Trump administration don't know true strength But that's not strength. It's not a 'warrior ethos.' Heck, it's not even an ethos. It's just a bunch of unconfident losers trying to push others down to make themselves feel tall. If Harvey Milk's name is scrubbed from a Navy ship, it won't alter his legacy. His name, decades upon decades from now, will still echo in the pages of history. the hearts of students of civil rights and the mind of any soldier with a true warrior ethos. Pete Hegseth's name, on the other hand, will prompt only one response: 'Who's that? Never heard of him.' Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Who was gay rights activist Harvey Milk?
Slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk was a political appointee for the city of San Francisco, where he enacted policy geared towards improving conditions for LGBTQ community members and working mothers. Harvey was born in New York to Jewish parents who both served in the Navy during World War I, according to the Milk Foundation. He attended New York State College for Teachers (now State University of New York) where he became well known for a column in the student newspaper addressing diversity within the country's armed forces before enlisting in the Navy in 1951. Milk served for four years, but ultimately resigned over questions about his sexual orientation, as reported by the foundation. However, he would go on to create legislation that supported LGBTQ openness in different facets of professional and private life during his tenure as a business owner and local official in California. Milk moved to the West Coast in 1972, beginning a career as a camera store owner and operator on Castro Street. It was after two gay men were denied the opportunity to open shop in the area that Milk created the Castro Village Association, which became one of the nation's first organizations of predominantly LGBTQ businesses. In 1975, Milk became the first openly gay city commissioner in the United States after being appointed to the Board of Permits. He then went on to be elected as the San Francisco City-County Supervisor in 1978 after three bids, which he on served with former senator Dianne Feinstein, who went on to become the city's mayor. In one year, he helped defeat California ballot initiative Proposition 6, which would have banned openly gay individuals from working as public school teachers. He also promoted the conversion of military facilities into affordable housing alongside tax reform and the promotion of LGBTQ rights in speeches. 'We are coming out to fight the lies, the myths, the distortions. We are coming out to tell the truths about gays, for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I'm going to talk about it,' he said during one speech, as transcribed by the foundation. 'And I want you to talk about it. You must come out,' he added. In November of 1978, Milk was assassinated by a former city supervisor alongside Mayor George Moscone. Feinstein was present at the time and was the one to find Milk's body. 'I was the one that found Supervisor Milk's body, and I was the one to put a finger in a bullet hole, trying to get a pulse,' she said in 2013. His killer was acquitted of murder charges but sentenced to eight years in prison for manslaughter. Milk was honored by the U.S. Navy in 2021, when the branch announced it would name one of its oil tankers in his honor. However, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ordered that his name be removed from the ship, according to reports from USA Today. 'Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all DOD installations and assets are reflective of the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos,' Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell previously said in a statement to The Hill when asked about potential renaming. 'Any potential renaming(s) will be announced after internal reviews are complete.' The move comes months after President Trump issued a January executive order that issued guidelines banning gender identity and expanded pronoun usage from military service.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Harvey Milk was just the start, Navy to rename other ships named for liberal heroes
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision to strip the name of trailblazing LGBT+ activist Harvey Milk from a U.S. Navy vessel will be followed by the renaming of many more ships, according to reports. Documents obtained by CBS News indicate that other vessels could be renamed as part of Hegseth's purge of 'woke' ideology from the military in addition to the USNS Harvey Milk, including the USNS Thurgood Marshall, the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the USNS Harriet Tubman, the USNS Dolores Huerta, the USNS Lucy Stone, the USNS Cesar Chavez, and the USNS Medgar Evers. The vessels placed on the Navy's 'recommended list' for renaming are all named for liberal icons. The task of renaming the ships will fall to Navy Secretary John Phelan. 'Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring that the names attached to all Department of Defense installations and assets are reflective of the commander-in-chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos,' the Pentagon said in a statement. Since being confirmed by the Senate in January, Hegseth has ordered the U.S. military to stamp out diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices in accordance with an executive order from President Donald Trump. The order extends to ending associations with minority awareness events such as Pride Month, Black History Month, and Women's History Month. These moves caused uproar in March when pages paying tribute to the service of American icons Jackie Robinson, the Navajo Code Talkers and Ira Hayes were removed from the Pentagon website, with his then-spokesperson John Ullyot issuing a statement declaring: 'DEI is dead at the Department of Defense.' Responding to the decision to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a replenishment oiler given its name in 2021, California LGBT+ activist Nicole Murray-Ramirez told NBC San Diego: 'The truth is this administration has made it clear they want to erase the LGBTQ community and its history. It wants to erase a lot of history.' 'This does nothing to help crew members prepare for war. It's nothing but a distraction,' added James Seddon, a Navy veteran of 20 years experience, who pointed to the logistical problems likely to arise from the name change. 'Thousands of things will have to be reprinted or embroidered, from [the] ship's ball caps (which are part of the official uniform) to many other uniform parts that contain the ship's name. 'Not to mention that the ship's name isn't simply painted on the hull. There's raised steel that spells the name. The hull will have to be grinded down to rename the ship.' Seddon also warned of 'unnecessary controversy between members of the crew' arising from potential clashes of views that could undermine 'unit cohesion and training.' Milk became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he became a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in January 1978, having won a historic election the previous year. He was assassinated the following November after the passage of a bill prohibiting housing and employment discrimination because of sexual orientation. As a young man, Milk joined the Navy in 1951 and served as an operations and diving officer on the submarines USS Kittiwake and USS Chanticleer. But, in 1954, he was court-martialed after being accused of taking part in a 'homosexual act,' ultimately choosing to resign his commission and accept an 'Other Than Honorable' discharge rather than face trial. His story was told in Gus Van Sant's 2008 biopic Milk starring Sean Penn.
