Authorities said the small plane on a small crashed plane in San Diego on Thursday morning was confirmed dead, and authorities said they had worked to verify their identity and investigate the cause of the incident.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said at a press conference Friday afternoon that local governments are the organisation responsible for revealing the names of victims.
“The pilot and passengers were fatally injured,” NTSB senior aviation safety investigator Dan Baker said at a press conference. “There were no deaths or serious injuries on the ground.”
Baker said the impact ignited the fire destroyed the plane and damaged nearby homes and vehicles.
Baker said authorities will work next year to determine what causes the Cessna 550 citation to crash before 4am on Thursday. Jet carried the music executives and five others.
Three employees of Sound Talent Group, representing artists such as Sun 41 and Vanessa Carlton, are among the deadly figures in the crash, the company confirmed. Dave Shapiro, co-founder of the agency, was listed as the plane owner and had a pilot license, but died according to the federal aviation administration. The two employees, whose employees died, were 24-year-old Kendall Fortner and 25-year-old Emma Huke, a native of Southern California and a fellow agent booking.
The incident was reported in the Murphy Canyon community near Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport around 3:47am local time. In the darkness and mist before dawn, the plane reportedly struck at least one home, recharging the structure, collapsed the roof, and damaged multiple vehicles. Authorities said the collision damaged around 10 homes, leaving jet fuel throughout the area.
None of the US Navy housing neighbours died, but eight people were treated for inhaling smoke from fiery crashes and non-life-threatening injuries.
The cause of the accident has not been determined yet. Among the questions investigators were trying to answer, whether the pilot knew of a notification warning flight crews that the runway and glide pass lighting at Montgomery Gibbs Airport were not on the board.
Baker said the pilot did not report any issues to air traffic control or declare a state of emergency prior to the collision.
“We expect the wreckage recovery will begin late today and our team will close out the top part of the investigation within the next two or three days,” he said.
