The pilot of the small plane that plunged into a Murphy Canyon neighborhood did not seem alarmed prior to the crash, investigators said Friday, but could have been hampered by a lack of information from key systems that are meant to assist those in the air.
That’s according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which has been on scene since Thursday afternoon, hours after the Cessna 550 crashed near Salmon and Sample streets, killing all aboard.
Dan Baker, from the NTSB, offered an update on the investigation during a Friday press briefing, explaining that his team was examining data from two sources, including communications with air traffic control.
“The pilot did not report any problems to air traffic control and he did not declare an emergency,” said Dan Baker.
Though officials have not confirmed the number of those killed, a music agency, Sound Talent Group, said Thursday that three employees of the firm, including co-founder Dave Shapiro, died in the crash. He was also a pilot.
Teams on the ground continue to work to find out more information about those on the aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration said six people were traveling on the Cessna, which was en route to Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport after departing New Jersey late Wednesday.
“The number and identities” of those on board will be determined by local authorities, Baker said.
The crash and the ensuing fire caused chaos for residents, who were forced to flee in the early morning hours Thursday as flames heavily damaged one home and destroyed – even melted – multiple vehicles. Yet most on the ground escaped unscathed, with only eight minor injuries reported.
The fire destroyed the remains of the aircraft, which ended up on Sample Street.
The NTSB, meanwhile, has identified weather and lighting systems, which typically help guide pilots, that were down at the time of the 3:47 a.m. crash.
The automated surface observing system – or ASOS, which provides airport weather conditions to flights – was inoperative at Montgomery-Gibbs, Baker said, “due to an unrelated power surge.”
Air traffic control instead provided the pilot with conditions for Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, about four miles to the north. The weather briefing for Miramar, Baker said, indicated that winds were calm, with 1/2 mile visibility and a 200-foot ceiling.
Authorities on Thursday said Murphy Canyon was blanketed by heavy fog at the time of the crash.
In addition, notices for pilots, known as NOTAMS, was in effect for a runway at Montgomery-Gibbs, Baker said. They indicated that both an approach path indicator and light system were out of service for runway 28R.
The Cessna did not have a flight data recorder, he added, but investigators believe it might have been equipped with a cockpit voice recorder, based on a review of maintenance records.
NTSB teams plan to remain on scene for two or three more days, before transferring the wreckage of the Cessna to a secure facility where it will be available for further examination.
Baker said debris recovery will begin Friday. The full investigation into the crash could take up to two years, he added.
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