NTSB says runway lights that might have helped in foggy San Diego crash hadn’t worked since 2022

The runway lights that would have helped guide a small jet into a San Diego airport in foggy weather before the plane crashed, killing all six aboard, hadn’t worked since 2022, investigators said. But it’s unclear whether the pilot who was based at the airport knew the lights were out service.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s issued its preliminary report Wednesday on the early morning crash of May 22 that also injured eight people on the ground. It confirmed that the Cessna came in too low as it approached the airport and struck power lines before the plane broke apart, crashing in a nearby neighborhood. The plane struck one home and that 20 vehicles were also damaged by the crash and ensuing fire.

The jet was carrying a music executive named Dave Shapiro and five others. No one in the neighborhood of U.S. Navy housing died, but eight people were treated for smoke inhalation from the fiery crash and non-life-threatening injuries after the crash near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.

The pilot acknowledged the weather conditions for landing at the small airport were not ideal and debated diverting to a different airport while discussing the visibility with an air traffic controller at a regional Federal Aviation Administration control facility, according to audio of the conversation posted by LiveATC.net. But the pilot declared “I think we’ll be alright” before going ahead with the landing attempt.

“I’m not sure how he would have thought he was going to see the runway without lights at night in the fog,” said aviation safety expert John Cox, who is CEO of the Safety Operating Systems consulting firm.

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 to those lights had been delayed while waiting for an environmental study although the other lights at the airport were working. The NTSB said it appeared the pilot tried to activate the runway lights by keying his microphone seven times while approaching the airport.

The NTSB said the pilot was based out of the executive 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 whether the pilot knew the runway lights were not working.

A power surge had also 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 (6.4 kilometers) to the north.

The NTSB said the plane was only about 60 feet (18 meters) above the ground when it struck the power lines above the neighborhood. The NTSB said the plane should have been flying almost 200 feet (60 meters) higher as it approached the airport.

Wednesday’s report does not list the cause of the crash. That won’t be officially determined until the final report is done sometime next year.