Authorities publicly identified Thursday one of the two people who died in the Labor Day plane crash at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport. Roger Shimizu, 45, was aboard a Cessna 172 that went down at the Serra Mesa general-aviation airport shortly before 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to the San Di ego County Medical Examiner’s Office. Shimizu, whose community of residence was not released, died at the scene of the accident along with the other occupant of the aircraft. The four-seat plane appeared to stall during a landing approach, its left wing dipping down before the aircraft spun to the ground and burst into flames, according to a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration. Emergency personnel respond to a plane crash at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport on Sept. 7, 2026. (NBC 7 San Diego) Billowing black smoke from the plane crash filled the air over the airport, beckoning people to come help, including Melizza Cardiel and her fiancé Mauricio Godinez, who were working in a hangar when they heard the crash. By the time the two got fire extinguishers and ran to help, they said it was too late. “As soon as we got back to the plane, flames were engulfing the wings,” said Godinez. “The wings were melting, caving in.” The airport was temporarily closed as crews cleaned up the damage and a small fuel leak that resulted from the crash. It reopened Tuesday afternoon. The National Transportation Safety Board was conducting an investigation into the crash. The crash once again fueled fears of previous crashes in San Diego for some, like when a Cessna 550 headed to the airport in May of 2025 and crashed into the 3100 block of Salmon Street near Tierrasanta.   A plane crashed at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in Kearny Mesa on Sept. 7, 2026. ...read more read less