Drummer Daniel Williams took to Instagram with a heartbreaking post just hours before the devastating San Diego plane crash.
The plane, which is said to have six on board, plummeted into Murphy Canyon, San Diego, on Thursday (May 22) morning causing evacuations along several streets.
“We have jet fuel all over the place,” assistant Fire Department chief Dan Eddy said during a news conference. “Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now.”
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Drummer Daniel Williams, a former member of the Ohio-based metal band The Devil Wears Prada, was on board the plane that was involved in the horrid incident, as well as David Shapiro, a music agent who has represented acts including Sum 41 and Vanessa Carlton.
Williams' former The Devil Wears Prada bandmates paid tribute to the talent artist with a heartbreaking post on social media.
It read: "No words. We owe you everything. Love you forever."
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A matter of hours before the crash, Williams shared a series of Instagram Stories from outside the private plane and even inside the cockpit.
"Hey. Hey … you … look at me … I’m the (co)pilot now," Williams said in one post, while he said in another: "Here we gooooo."
The drummer also posted a picture shortly before takeoff and tagged music talent agent manager Shapiro, the owner of the plane.
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Shapiro was the co-founder of Sound Talent Group, whose clients include Eve 6, Pierce the Veil, I Prevail, Set it Off, Silverstein, Parkway Drive and Story of the Year.
A spokesman for Sound Talent Group told the BBC: "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. Thank you so much for respecting their privacy at this time."
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The company went on to tell the BBC it lost 'three employees in the plane crash' including Shapiro - with the other two victims later being identified as booking assistants Kendall Fortner and Emma Huke.
Shapiro's friend Dominic Damian and photographer Celina Kenyon also tragically died on board the plane.
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Dan Baker of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) explained that while officials are yet to determine a cause of the crash, he has highlighted factors that could have lead to the tragedy.
The expert explained that the weather alert system at the airport the plane had hoped to land at was down due to a power surge prior to collision.
The pilot manning the small aircraft is believed to have been battling with foggy conditions before sunrise all while the medium intensity light system with runway light indicator lights were out of use.
Callum Jones