retire NASCAR driver Greg Biffle He was not piloting the plane when it crashed in North Carolina last month, killing him and six others, federal safety officials said in a report Friday. The official also concluded that while an experienced pilot was at the controls, no one else on board was qualified to serve as co-pilot.
A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said Biffle and retired airline pilot Dennis Dutton at the controls and his son Jack, both licensed pilots, noticed an instrument malfunction before the Cessna C550 crashed while trying to return to Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.
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The fire started when the plane landed about a third of a mile from the airport’s runway.
The National Transportation Safety Board made it clear that Jack Dutton was in the passenger seat. Neither Jack Dutton nor Biffle had the correct endorsement on their pilot licenses to serve as co-pilot on the plane, but it’s unclear whether the co-pilot’s experience played a role in the crash. The thrust reverser indicator light did not work before takeoff, but the pilot’s altimeter and some other instruments did not work after the plane was airborne, the report said.
The nature of the plane’s problems is unclear at this stage of the investigation, in part because the cockpit voice recorder interrupted at times, and experts from the National Transportation Safety Board are just beginning to delve into what caused the crash. Jack Dutton announced over the radio, “We’ve got some problems,” and the cockpit voice recorder captured part of a conversation between the three pilots about the plane’s problems.
Greg Biffle during the 64th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2022. /Photo credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
(Cathy Grossu)
Biffle’s wife Christina, children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, and his friend Craig Wadsworth died in the crash.
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Christina’s mother, Kathy Grossu, told CBS News last month that she and her daughter texted “all day long,” including during flights.
“Then she said something like ‘We’re in trouble, emergency landing.’ I texted back, ‘What’s wrong with the plane?’ ‘” Grosu told cbs news. “Then when you have an accident or something, you get (an SOS alert) from your automatic iPhone. So I know something’s wrong.”
Biff, 55, has won more than 50 races at three NASCAR tracks, including 19 at the Cup level. He also won the 2000 Truck Series championship and the 2002 Xfinity Series championship.
In 2024, Biffle was honored for his humanitarian efforts after Hurricane Helene hit the United States, even using his private helicopter to deliver aid to flooded remote areas of western North Carolina.
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Earlier this month, hundreds of people from the NASCAR community gathered at an arena in Charlotte to honor Biffle at a public memorial service.
The plane took off from Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte, and crashed about 10 minutes later while trying to return and land.
During the short flight, the aircraft’s speed and altitude fluctuated greatly. The plane soared rapidly from an altitude of 1,800 feet to 4,000 feet before descending again. Just before the crash, it was only a few hundred feet above the ground. Experts say its path is consistent with a crew encountering a problem and needing to return quickly.
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