The runway lights that would have helped guide a small jet into a San Diego airport in foggy weather before it crashed hadn’t worked since 2022, investigators said.
But it’s unclear whether the pilot knew the lights were out of service, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which issued its preliminary report Wednesday on the early morning May 22 crash that killed all six aboard.
The report confirmed that the Cessna came in too low as it approached the airport and struck power lines before the plane broke apart, crashing in Murphy Canyon. The plane struck one home; 20 vehicles also were damaged by the crash and ensuing fire.
No one in the neighborhood, comprised of U.S. Navy housing, died, but eight people were treated for smoke inhalation from the fiery crash, along with other non-life-threatening injuries.
The jet was carrying a music executive, Dave Shapiro, two of his employees and three others, bound for Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
The pilot acknowledged that weather conditions and visibility for landing were not ideal and debated diverting to a different airport with a regional Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller, according to audio of the conversation posted by LiveATC.net.
The FAA had posted an official notice for pilots that the runway alignment lights were out of service, but the NTSB said that had been the case since March 2022.
Repairs the airport had planned to make to those lights had been delayed while waiting for an environmental study. The NTSB said it appeared the pilot tried to activate the lights by keying his microphone seven times while approaching the airport.
The NTSB said the pilot was based out of the airport near where the crash occurred. Shapiro had a pilot’s license and was listed as the owner of the plane. But the preliminary report did not say whether investigators have determined if the pilot knew about the state of the runway lights.
A power surge also had knocked out the weather system at the airport but the pilot was aware of the fog and an air traffic controller gave him weather information from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, about 4 miles to the north.
After the crash, the city clarified who manages the weather system and runway lights. The FAA, under an agreement with the city, maintains responsibility both for “navigational aid facilities and approach lighting for the runway” and “weather and communication facilities,” the officials explained in an “operations overview” posted on the city’s website.
The NTSB said the plane was only about 60 feet above the ground when it struck the power lines above the neighborhood. Investigators said the plane should have been flying almost 200 feet higher as it approached the airport, well west of the crash site, on the other side of Interstate 15.
Wednesday’s report does not list the cause of the crash. That won’t be officially determined until the final report is complete sometime next year.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( NTSB: Runway lights at Montgomery-Gibbs had been out for years before fatal crash )
Also on site :