AOPA’s Air Safety Institute Releases Early Analysis on Cessna Citation Crash

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute (ASI) released a new video from its Early Analysis series providing an initial examination of a recent aviation accident in San Diego.

On May 22, 2025, at 3:47 a.m. local time, a Cessna Citation 550 crashed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego as it was preparing to land at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (KMYF) in thick fog. All six occupants of the aircraft died.

No one on the ground was seriously injured or killed, but almost a dozen homes and numerous vehicles were damaged or destroyed in the post-crash fire. The accident forced more than 100 people to evacuate.

“In Early Analysis: Cessna Citation crash in San Diego, ASI looks at factors that contributed to the mishap and are expected to be subject of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation,” said AOPA ASI Senior Vice President Mike Ginter, “Our goal is to help pilots understand and learn from this tragedy.”

Ginter continued, “It was the second leg of a long night flight from Teterboro, New Jersey. We don’t know if the pilot was suffering from fatigue, if the aircraft’s instruments were faulty or if they had been programmed incorrectly, or if the pilot intentionally or mistakenly flew below the glidepath in order to visually acquire the runway for landing. The aircraft flew into a high-voltage power line amid half-mile visibility and low ceilings.”

The jet was following the published RNAV (GPS) Runway 28R landing procedure when it struck the power line, located about 1.5 nautical miles east of the approach end of Runway 28R. The procedure’s minimum altitudes provide a safe margin over obstacles on the ground, including the power lines.

Pilots who are instrument-rated and current can legally fly in inclement weather conditions like those on Wednesday evening, but they must follow those strictly defined procedures.

“It is far too early to come to definitive conclusions about this crash, and we will have to wait for the full NTSB investigation to find out what really happened,” Ginter added, “But it’s not too early for General Aviation pilots to learn important lessons about aeronautical decision making from this incident. Flying a long cross country, at night, and then attempting to land in low instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) weather poses huge challenges for any pilot.”

“While we regret the loss of life in the aircraft, the extensive damage and disruptive impact of the crash on the residents’ lives in San Diego, and in spite of the public perception after several high-profile accidents this year, the General Aviation accident rate has enjoyed a 32-year decline and the number of accidents this year is lower than the same period last year,” Ginter continued, “It is up to all pilots to keep it that way.”

Early Analysis videos provide an initial assessment of mishaps that generate large public interest and may indicate important safety lessons for the general aviation community.