Former Christian metalcore drummer Daniel Williams died in a private jet crash that killed at least two people, just hours after he posted a photo of himself in the aircraft’s cockpit.
Williams, 39, formerly played with the hugely popular band The Devil Wears Prada. Late Wednesday night, he filmed himself boarding a Cessna 550 at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
He also shared photos from the controls and wrote that he was the “co-pilot now,” although it was unclear whether the comment was made in jest.
In what appeared to be his final post, Williams posed at the aircraft’s controls alongside the caption: “Here we gooooo.”
Tracking data shows the plane, registered as N666DS, departed Teterboro Airport at 11:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
After stopping to refuel in Wichita, Kansas, the Cessna continued toward California. It ultimately crashed in a quiet military residential neighborhood in San Diego, near its planned destination at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
Williams lived in San Diego, where the jet was scheduled to land. He left The Devil Wears Prada in 2016 and later became a software engineer.
Before takeoff, he posted a photo to his Instagram Stories as he boarded the plane in New Jersey late Wednesday night.
Williams told followers he was traveling with music agent and pilot Dave Shapiro. Aircraft registration records indicate that Shapiro had purchased the eight-seat plane in July last year.
Investigators confirmed Wednesday that both people aboard the aircraft died. Eight people on the ground were injured, although authorities have not provided further details about their conditions.
Ryan Bruce, a music producer and friend of Shapiro, remembered both men in a statement to Daily Mail: “Dave changed mine and a lot of other people’s lives, and the community he built, along with the network of bands he worked with and supported, will never forget him.
“Daniel left us a lot of music to remember him by, and he was a super sweet guy.”
Daniel Williams, a former member of Christian metalcore band The Devil Wears Prada, was aboard the Cessna 550 overnight. He is pictured performing at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival at San Manuel Amphitheater on June 30, 2012.
The photo appears to have been taken before the jet departed Teterboro Airport in New Jersey at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday. It remains unclear whether Williams left the aircraft in Wichita or continued on to San Diego.
Bruce also paid tribute to the pair on Instagram, sharing a photograph of Williams and Shapiro with the words “Rest easy” and heart emojis.
Music executive Terrance Coughlin honored Williams and Shapiro in a post on X.
“Rest in Peace Dave Shapiro, Daniel Williams, and everyone on that flight,” he wrote. “Some of my very first shows were booked through Dave.
“I had a handful of shows with Daniel, and it was always a pleasure to see him play. Gone way too soon.”
Music agent Tony Cappocchi also remembered Shapiro, telling Daily Mail: “Dave was a great friend of ours.”
Sound Talent Group confirmed in a statement to Daily Mail that three of its employees had been aboard the plane.
“We are devastated by the loss of our co-founder, colleagues and friends. Our hearts go out to their families and to everyone impacted by today’s tragedy,” the statement said. “Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time.”
The company has not identified which three employees were on the aircraft.
The Cessna flew on to Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, landing at 1:49 a.m. CT. After refueling, it departed again at 2:36 a.m. CT.
The jet was expected to reach Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego shortly before 4 a.m. PT, but it never completed the journey.
It crashed just before 4 a.m. in the largest housing neighborhood operated by the U.S. military. Officials said those aboard the luxury aircraft were feared dead in the resulting fireball.
Williams posted this photo to his Instagram Stories while boarding the plane in New Jersey, telling followers he was flying with music agent and pilot Dave Shapiro.
The 39-year-old drummer also shared photos from the aircraft’s controls, writing that he was the “co-pilot now.”
At least 10 homes were damaged or burned, while debris spread across the area. Cars parked on both sides of a street were also engulfed in flames.
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A family of five was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. Another person was hospitalized after being injured while climbing through a window to escape.
Two additional people were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
San Diego officials have released few details about the aircraft but confirmed that the flight arrived from the Midwest.
Flight-tracking website FlightAware listed a Cessna Citation II scheduled to arrive at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport at 3:47 a.m., traveling from Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita.
Officials at the Kansas airport confirmed that the aircraft had stopped there for fuel. The flight began Wednesday night at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey.
Teterboro Airport is roughly six miles, or 10 kilometers, from Manhattan and is frequently used by wealthy travelers and celebrities flying privately into and out of New York City.
Music executive Terrance Coughlin paid tribute to Williams and Shapiro in a post on X.
Music producer Ryan “Fluff” Bruce paid tribute to Williams and Shapiro. He told Daily Mail: “Dave changed mine and a lot of other people’s lives, and the community he built, along with the network of bands he worked with and supported, will never forget him. Daniel left us a lot of music to remember him by, and he was a super sweet guy.”
Bruce remembered the two men on Instagram, posting a photo of Williams and Shapiro with the words “Rest easy” and heart emojis.
Daniel Williams is pictured attending a concert in a photograph posted to his Instagram account.
The plane crashed just before 4 a.m. in the U.S. military’s largest housing neighborhood. Officials said everyone aboard the aircraft was feared dead.
Debris is scattered across the ground after the small plane crashed in a San Diego neighborhood.
Hours after the crash, the smell of jet fuel remained in the San Diego neighborhood as emergency crews worked to extinguish a stubborn car fire.
First responders described a devastating scene in the aftermath.
“I can’t quite put into words what the scene looks like, but with jet fuel running down the street and everything on fire all at once, it was pretty horrific to see,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.
Pieces of aircraft metal covered the roadway, though no recognizable section of the plane remained visible.
About half a dozen vehicles were completely charred. Tree branches, melted trash cans, broken glass and fragments of white and blue metal were strewn across the street.
At the end of the block, thick black smoke rose from a car that continued to smolder as water mixed with jet fuel flowed along the road.
More than 50 police officers reached the scene within minutes and began evacuating nearby homes. At least 100 residents were taken to an evacuation center at a nearby elementary school.
Officers also rescued several animals, including three husky puppies that were moved away from the crash site in a wagon.
Several blocks away, families in pajamas waited in a parking lot for officials to tell them when they could return home.
Police tape flutters beside a burned vehicle after the small plane crashed in a San Diego neighborhood.
The area consists of single-family homes and townhouses. Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport is about two miles away.
San Diego Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy said visibility was severely limited by dense fog when the private plane went down. “You could barely see in front of you,” he said.
Investigators were examining whether the aircraft struck a power line before crashing into the neighborhood. The Federal Aviation Administration said the National Transportation Safety Board would lead the investigation.
In October 2021, a twin-engine plane crashed into a San Diego suburb while preparing to land, killing the pilot and a UPS delivery driver on the ground and setting homes on fire.
In December 2008, a U.S. Marine Corps fighter jet crashed into a home in San Diego’s University City neighborhood. The resulting explosion killed four people inside. The Marine Corps attributed the accident to mechanical failure and human error.
