6 Are Feared Dead After Small Jet Crashes in San Diego

Six people are suspected of being killed after a plane crashed into dense fog and crashed into a residential area in San Diego early Thursday. Eight people were injured on the ground and 10 homes were damaged, officials said.

The plane, a Cessna Citation, crashed shortly before 4 a.m. in Murphy Canyon near the Tierrasanta neighborhood, forcing the evacuation of about 100 people as it caught fire, according to the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego Fire Department.

At a news conference Thursday, San Diego Fire Chief Don Eddy said at least two people on board the plane were killed and he did not believe there were any survivors. The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that six people were on board.

Dave Shapiro (42), a musician and pilot who apparently had a stake in the plane, died in the crash, according to Sound Talent Group, the company he co-founded.

It is unclear who was flying the plane. The agency represents several music groups, including Jefferson Starship and Hanson.

A spokesman for the agency said in a statement that the company was “devastated by the loss of our co-founder, collaborator and friend.”

Daniel Williams, 39, the former drummer for the band The Devil Wears Prada, was feared dead in the crash.

In an Instagram story posted Wednesday night, Mr. Williams shared a photo of the plane on the tarmac before the flight and wrote that he was “flying back” with Mr. Shapiro. He shared two other photos of himself sitting in the cockpit.

His former band, Devil Wears Prada, paid tribute to Mr. Williams on Facebook on Thursday.

“No words,” the group wrote. "We owe you everything. We love you forever."

Officials have not yet released the names of those killed. The San Diego County medical examiner did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

When officials arrived at the scene Thursday morning, several cars, lawns and homes were on fire, and the time of the call — just before 4 a.m. — meant many people were still asleep.

“I can’t describe what the scene looked like with fuel running down the street and everything on fire all at once,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said. “It was a horrible sight.”

Officials did not immediately say what caused the crash. There was heavy fog in the San Diego area early in the morning and Mr. Eddy confirmed that a large power line had been downed.

The F.A.A. and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

As the plane approached Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, the pilot asked air traffic controllers how low the visibility was, according to the voice transmission.

The automatic system that gives pilots weather updates was not working at the airport at the time, which pilots and controllers have discussed.

Air traffic controllers told the pilot that visibility was about one mile and the ceiling was about 200 feet for Miramar, Calif., which is about 10 miles north of the crash site.

“Well, that’s not very good, but we’ll do it,” the pilot replied.

The residential neighborhood is home to many military families, according to Robert Heely, commander of Naval Base San Diego. Toys, bikes and garden beds are strewn across the lawn. Thursday, carts and patio furniture were burned or covered with grass.

Julie Marconi, a mother of two, said a neighbor came to wake her up about 15 minutes after the crash.

“My neighbor’s wife came and helped me get the kids and diapers, and we just ran,” Ms. Marconi said as she stood behind yellow tape on Santo Road, a half-mile from the crash site. "We live on a street near Sculpin and I can't believe a plane went down on our quiet street. If it wasn't for my neighbors, I don't know what I would do."

Rescuers were relieved to see this story spread throughout the neighborhood. Families quickly jumped in to wake up and help evacuate their neighbors. Incredibly, there were no serious injuries or deaths among those living near the crash.

Cynthia Schmitz, 33, a resident of the Tierrasanta neighborhood, was shocked by the incident.

“All we heard was a loud noise, a loud explosion, and the sky cleared,” he said. He quickly realized it was a minor accident, said Ms. Schmitz, who is in the Navy.

“We always saw planes flying by our house,” he said, “so I thought that was it.”

About 100 residents were evacuated Thursday morning. Many neighborhoods are closed to traffic as garbage is strewn across roofs, lawns and streets.

Burned cars were scattered around the area, and firefighters were putting out the burning cars for about four hours after the crash.

The plane was attempting to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, across a highway where it crashed. It took off from Teterboro, N.J., Wednesday night with a stopover at Colonel James Jabara Airport in Wichita, Kan., before a flight to San Diego, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking database.

The plane was built in 1985 and is owned by Daviator, a limited liability company registered in Alaska, according to records. His name is a combination of Mr. Shapiro’s given name, Dave, and a pilot. The F.A.A. classified the business as a fractional business, a popular arrangement in the aviation industry that allows people to buy part of a private jet.

Josiah Tavares was terrified by the sound of his mother-in-law yelling “fire.”

“I run down, I look outside, and the whole street is on fire, the cars are on fire,” Mr. Tavares said. “There seems to be debris everywhere.”

Mr. Tavares gathered his family and prepared to escape over the yard fence before a neighbor came to his door saying there was a safe route across the street.

“So we ran out of the house to try to get to the street to follow the emergency services,” he said, adding that they heard a noise like a car exploding.

Mr. Tavares was at the established immigration camp Thursday afternoon. He said he believed there was no significant damage to his home. Mr. Tavares said people in the neighborhood supported each other.

“The community really comes together here and it’s great,” he said.