At least three people aboard a jet headed for Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego were killed when the aircraft crashed into a neighborhood early Thursday.
The Federal Aviation Administration said six people were on the Cessna 550 when it crashed amid dense fog around 3:45 a.m. While authorities have not named anyone who died in the crash, a spokesperson for Sound Talent Group, a San Diego-based music agency, confirmed to The Times that the company lost three employees.
Among them was Dave Shapiro, the company’s co-founder. The other employees were not named.
“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends,” read a company statement. “Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy. Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time.”
Dave Shapiro, 42
Shapiro’s digital presence encapsulated the spirit of an adventurer. He was a music agent, airplane and helicopter pilot, husband, puppy dad and retired BASE jumper, according to his Instagram bio.
Shapiro, who co-founded Sound Talent Group in 2018, also started Velocity Aviation, a company that offers scenic flight tours in San Diego and Homer, Alaska. The aviation company also specializes in aircraft leasing, aircraft sales consulting, ferry flights and flight instruction, according to the Velocity Aviation website.
Shapiro took his first flight class in 2005 as a 22-year-old executive in the music business and was immediately “hooked to all things aviation,” the website reads.
Shapiro also owned a restaurant, record label and a merchandise manufacturing business.
“From BASE jumping to aerobatic flying, Helicopters to twin engines, flight instructing to furthering his own education, doesn’t matter to Dave as long as he gets to be in the sky,” the Velocity Aviation website reads. “With over 15 years of flight experience, thousands of hours logged, and over a million miles flown, Dave continues to grow his experience and share it with the aviation community through the many services Velocity Aviation offers.”
Videos on Instagram show him performing rolls and other aerobatic maneuvers while piloting an aircraft. In 2020, he posted a photo of his pilot licenses announcing that he’d been certified as an airline transport pilot.
“For non-aviators, this is the license above commercial. Although I have a career and don’t plan to change that I always want to learn more and be a better pilot,” he wrote in the caption. “Passed the check ride a couple months ago and got my cert in the mail! Did the test in a citation 525 series so I’m now rated for the CJ jets too. Fun times.”
Flying was more than a business to Shapiro. It was also an element of one of life’s biggest milestones — his wedding.
In 2016, Shapiro and his wife boarded a bright red plane mounted with skis to fly over Denali National Park in Alaska to get to their ceremony. The couple said “I do” on Kahiltna Glacier — the bride wearing a gold sequined dress and the groom a dark suit and an Iron Maiden T-shirt.
Shapiro’s wife detailed the whirlwind celebration in a story published online, ending it with a message of adoration for her groom: “my beautiful husband, thank you for existing and I love you way more.”
An outpouring of condolences were posted to social media Thursday. The music industry veteran worked as a band manager, promoter and other roles in American metalcore, pop-punk and emo rock music.
“He was my manager and agent for years and a huge part of my career as a producer and musician,” musician Carson Slovak wrote on Facebook. “He was a truly good person and an inspiration to countless people. His contributions to the music industry are legendary and his charitable spirit had a profound effect on so many. I’m heartbroken and in shock.”
Bill D’Arcangelo, an artist manager at Mid Atlantic Management, said in a post on Facebook that Shapiro was “a pillar of the music industry that will never be replicated or replaced.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
