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NTSB Releases Preliminary Report on San Diego Crash

Airport approach lights were out of service, the agency said.

Friday, June 20, 2025 at 01:00 PM ET

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Edited By: Steve Spears

Cessna 550 jet [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A Cessna Citation S550 crashed in San Diego during a pre-dawn instrument approach in thick fog, killing all five on board and causing extensive ground damage and injuries.
The NTSB preliminary report indicates the pilot, operating single-pilot with an exemption, descended significantly below the published glideslope and minimum crossing altitudes, striking power lines approximately 2 miles from the airport.
Contributing factors included severe weather conditions (thick fog, IFR), an inoperative Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) at the destination, and non-functional Runway Alignment Indicator (RAI) lights, all of which the pilot was reportedly aware of.

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The National Transportation Safety Board has released the preliminary report on the pre-dawn crash of a Cessna Citation S550 in San Diego last month, killing all five people on board and setting a military neighborhood ablaze.

The privately owned jet was at the end of an all-night flight that began on the East Coast around midnight local time. The pilot of the jet was the aircraft owner.

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.