Latest news with #Fortner
Epoch Times
5 days ago
- Epoch Times
Coroner Releases Names of San Diego Plane Crash Victims as Investigation Continues
The San Diego County coroner has officially released the names of five of the six people who were killed when a The crash ignited cars parked along a neighborhood block and damaged several homes in the U.S. military's largest housing neighborhood. Five people from a single family were hospitalized for smoke inhalation following the crash, and another person was treated at a hospital for injuries sustained while climbing out of a window trying to flee, said San Diego police. According to the San Diego David Shapiro, 42; Emma Huke, 25; and Celina Marie Rose Kenyon, 36, died of multiple blunt force injuries, according to the coroner. The medical examiner's office is still investigating what caused the death of Dominic Christopher Damian, 41, and Kendall Fortner, 24, who were also traveling in the private jet when it crashed, according to the information released. Related Stories 5/24/2025 5/23/2025 Shapiro had been identified by his company, Sound Talent Group, as its cofounder. Fortner and Huke were two of his employees, the music agency said in a statement. Damian was a software engineer, according to his Fortner and Huke had recently joined Shapiro's agency as booking associates after graduating college, according to bios released by Sound Talent Group. 'We are devastated by the loss of our cofounder, colleagues and friends,' the company wrote in the Shapiro also owned Velocity Records. He had a pilot's license and was listed as the owner of the plane. Another passenger on the flight was allegedly Daniel Williams, although the sixth person has not been officially identified. Williams, a former drummer for metal band The Devil Wears Prada, posted on his Instagram before the flight that he was boarding a plane with Shapiro. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is leading an investigation into the crash. Police officers search the site where a small plane crashed on a San Diego, California, residential street on May 22, 2025. Photo by Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images The flight took off from Teterboro, New Jersey, near Manhattan, at about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and stopped for fuel in Kansas before continuing to San Diego, according to Elliot Simpson of the NTSB. The plane was arriving at about 3:45 a.m. at the As the pilot approached the runway for an instrument-guided landing, the Cessna Citation hit high-tension power lines about two miles southeast of the airfield, according to the NTSB. 'After impacting the high-tension power lines, the airplane descended and impacted the ground in a residential area,' Dan Baker, senior air safety investigator for the NTSB assigned to the region, Investigators look through the site where a small plane crashed on a San Diego, California, residential street on May 22, 2025. Sandy Huffaker/AFP via Getty Images After coming to a rest on Sample Street, the aircraft burst into flames that destroyed it and damaged nearby vehicles and homes, according to Baker. 'The pilot and passengers were fatally injured,' Baker said, but there were no ground fatalities or serious injuries to people nearby. Initial findings revealed the pilot was attempting to land while the runway lighting systems were out of service, according to investigators. Additionally, the airport's Automated Surface Observing System ( The area was experiencing thick fog, but the wind was calm with a half-mile of visibility, investigators said. The pilot communicated with air traffic controllers to get weather information for a location four miles away before descending, he added. The pilot did not report any problems to air traffic control and did not declare an emergency during the landing, according to the NTSB. The aircraft was not equipped with a flight data recorder, and investigators were still trying to determine if the plane had a cockpit voice recorder. The agency is required to file a preliminary report 30 days after the accident and expects to finalize a report within 12 to 24 months, Baker said.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
2 more victims of private jet crash in San Diego identified by coroner
The names of two more people who were killed when the small private jet on which they were passengers crashed into a San Diego, California, neighborhood last week were released on Sunday. The San Diego Medical Examiner confirmed that 41-year-old Dominic Christopher Damian and 24-year-old Kendall Fortner were among the six people aboard a Cessna 550 jet that crash and burst into flames early Thursday morning in dense fog near Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport. Everyone aboard the plane died, officials said. Eight people on the ground were injured, including five who were treated for smoke inhalation, officials said. Multiple homes were destroyed and several vehicles were damaged, authorities said. The crash occurred about 3:45 a.m. when the private jet clipped powerlines and crashed in San Diego's Murphy Canyon neighborhood seconds before it was to land at the Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport, according to an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the NTSB. On Friday, the Medical Examiner confirmed the identities of three of the people aboard the aircraft who were killed as 42-year-old David Shapiro, 25-year-old Emma Huke, and 36-year-old Celina Kenyon. MORE: Music agency co-founder among dead in San Diego plane crash The identity of the sixth person killed in the cash has not been publicly confirmed by officials. Shapiro was the co-founder of the music talent agency Sound Talent Group, the company said in an earlier statement. The company's statement identified Fortner as a booking associate with the agency but Fortner's identity wasn't officially confirmed by the medical examiner until Sunday. Huke also worked for the talent agency as a booking associate, according to the agency. The plane was flying from Wichita, Kansas, to San Diego when it crashed, officials said. The plane originated in Teterboro, New Jersey, according to FlightRadar24 records. The plane stopped to refuel in Wichita, Kansas, before flying on to San Diego, according to FlightRadar24. San Diego Assistant Fire Chief of Emergency Operations Dan Eddy said at a news conference on Thursday that there was dense fog in the area at the time of the crash. In air traffic control audio transmissions minutes before the crash, the pilot was recorded asking about the weather conditions, according to The NTSB said that the airport's weather reporting system as well as runway lights were both not functioning at the time of the crash. ABC News' Nadine El-Bawab contributed to this report. 2 more victims of private jet crash in San Diego identified by coroner originally appeared on
7 days ago
2 more victims of private jet crash in San Diego identified by coroner
The names of two more people who were killed when the small private jet on which they were passengers crashed into a San Diego, California, neighborhood last week were released on Sunday. The San Diego Medical Examiner confirmed that 41-year-old Dominic Christopher Damian and 24-year-old Kendall Fortner were among the six people aboard a Cessna 550 jet that crash and burst into flames early Thursday morning in dense fog near Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport. Everyone aboard the plane died, officials said. Eight people on the ground were injured, including five who were treated for smoke inhalation, officials said. Multiple homes were destroyed and several vehicles were damaged, authorities said. The crash occurred about 3:45 a.m. when the private jet clipped powerlines and crashed in San Diego's Murphy Canyon neighborhood seconds before it was to land at the Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport, according to an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the NTSB. On Friday, the Medical Examiner confirmed the identities of three of the people aboard the aircraft who were killed as 42-year-old David Shapiro, 25-year-old Emma Huke, and 36-year-old Celina Kenyon. The identity of the sixth person killed in the cash has not been publicly confirmed by officials. Shapiro was the co-founder of the music talent agency Sound Talent Group, the company said in an earlier statement. The company's statement identified Fortner as a booking associate with the agency but Fortner's identity wasn't officially confirmed by the medical examiner until Sunday. Huke also worked for the talent agency as a booking associate, according to the agency. The plane was flying from Wichita, Kansas, to San Diego when it crashed, officials said. The plane originated in Teterboro, New Jersey, according to FlightRadar24 records. The plane stopped to refuel in Wichita, Kansas, before flying on to San Diego, according to FlightRadar24. San Diego Assistant Fire Chief of Emergency Operations Dan Eddy said at a news conference on Thursday that there was dense fog in the area at the time of the crash. In air traffic control audio transmissions minutes before the crash, the pilot was recorded asking about the weather conditions, according to The NTSB said that the airport's weather reporting system as well as runway lights were both not functioning at the time of the crash.
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
What we know about the San Diego plane crash and the 6 on board who died
SAN DIEGO — A private plane approaching an airport amid crashed in a San Diego neighborhood, killing the six people on board, including groundbreaking alternative music executive Dave Shapiro. The crash stunned the heavy metal and hard rock scene that grew out of the punk movement. The music agency that Shapiro cofounded, Sound Talent Group, represented groups like Pierce The Veil, Parkway Drive and Sum 41, while also venturing into more pop acts such as Vanessa Carlton. It could take a year to sort out exactly what happened to the plane, but investigators know there was thick fog, problems with the runway lights and a broken weather alert system, according to Dan Baker of the National Transportation Safety Board. The pilot and passengers were died, but no one on the ground was killed or seriously injured. The dead included a groundbreaking alternative music executive, a photographer and two young women just starting out in the music industry. Here's what to know about the victims and the crash: Shapiro, 42, got into music playing in a band he founded with friends while in high school, called Count with Stars. But it was the connections he made that made him successful, more than the music he played. Shapiro helped bring the underground $10-a-show alternative scene of the 2010s to the mainstream. He also was huge in creating a community, said Mike Shea, founder of Alternative Press Magazine. 'In this music industry, there are just too many people ripping people off and using people,' Shea said. 'Dave was not like that.' Shapiro was listed as the plane's owner and had a pilot's license. Officials have not said who was flying. Fortner, 24, and Huke, 25, joined Shapiro's agency as booking associates after graduating from college, according to bios released by Sound Talent Group, which confirmed both women were on the plane. Fortner 'was hooked on music' from a young age thanks to her father, who took her to concerts, and as a teen showed interest in pursuing it as a career. Huke, too, knew from a young age that she wanted to work in the industry, and she worked hard to save money to attend concerts and festivals. 'There was nothing Emma loved more than live music,' the agency said. Both Fortner and Huke were good at their jobs, which included planning tours, the agency said. Williams was a former drummer for The Devil Wears Prada, a popular Ohio metalcore band celebrated for its ability to marry melodic punk rock with metallic detours. When Williams 'was in the band, that's when they broke out,' Shea said. Thomas Gutches, who manages rock bands and artists, recalled Williams' ability to captivate audiences with his drumming. 'Daniel was putting on a show from his style of playing," he said. Williams' band, which had two releases reach the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, was a client of Sound Talent Group. Kenyon, 36, was another passenger, according to the coroner's office in San Diego. A spokesperson for Sound Talent Group said she was not an employee. Bryan Charles Feldman, Kenyon's father, said in a statement to that she was respected in her career as a professional photographer and was deeply loved by friends and family, including her daughter and her partner. Kenyon had been traveling 'to photograph and support' some longtime friends, Feldman said, and went on the late-night private flight rather than fly commercial so she could get home in time to take her daughter to school. "The world has lost a beautiful bright light," he said. Also killed was 41-year-old Damian, the coroner's office announced Saturday. A martial arts school in San Diego, The Training Center, said via Instagram that Damian trained there. The gym is hosting an open-mat session in his memory Monday. Headed from New Jersey to San Diego with a fueling stop in Kansas, the plane went down about 2 miles from San Diego's Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. Eight people on the ground were hurt, none seriously. The Cessna 550 Citation crashed after hitting power lines, Baker said. The pilot acknowledged to an air traffic controller that the weather was not ideal and debated diverting to a different airport, according an audio recording posted online by The Federal Aviation Administration posted an official notice that the airport's runway lights were out. The pilot did not discuss that with the controller but did say he knew the its weather alert system was not working. 'Doesn't sound great, but we'll give it a go,' he told the controller. The fog was so thick around the time of the crash that 'you could barely see in front of you,' Assistant San Diego Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said. The U.S. had its deadliest plane crash in more than 23 years in January when an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided in Washington, killing all 67 people aboard the two aircraft. Last month a sightseeing helicopter broke apart and crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, killing six people. In early February a small commuter plane crashed in western Alaska, killing all 10 people on board. And in Philadelphia, a medical transport plane plummeted into a neighborhood shortly after takeoff in late January, killing the six people on board and two more on the ground.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘We haven't forgotten': 500 flags on display in Farmington for Memorial Day
FARMINGTON, N.M. (KRQE) – A display of 500 flags in honor of fallen veterans has been installed in Farmington for Memorial Day weekend. The annual Healing Field flag display produced by the San Juan Rotary Club has taken place for the last 13 years in the northwestern New Mexico city. 'Our flag is our symbol for our country. And this is a way of showing our fallen veterans and their families that we continue on to remember them and make them proud of what we do in this country,' said Terri Fortner, president of the San Juan Rotary Club. LIST: Albuquerque city services operating on Memorial Day Around 70 volunteers from the San Juan Rotary Club, the Farmington Chamber Redcoats, the District Attorney's Office, and other local organizations placed the flags in a field adjacent to the Boys and Girls Club Friday morning. 'We also have dog tags from the fallen veterans. We have 200 of those that commemorate their names, and if you walk through when the wind is blowing, you can hear the dinking of the dog tags. So it's a very emotional time for a lot of people,' Fortner explained. The display will be open throughout the weekend. A closing ceremony will be held at the field on Memorial Day at 6 p.m. There will be multiple speakers, the singing of the National Anthem, a reading of the roll, and the event will conclude with a performance of 'Taps'. At the end of the ceremony, guests are asked to leave the field quietly in honor of the fallen heroes. 'I want to make sure that they're always remembered because they're the ones that gave the total sacrifice of their life, and to also to let their friends and family know that we haven't forgotten. We also, in this, honor the first responders for our community that have also lost their life in service,' said Fortner. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
