Report Reveals Greg Biffle Wasn’t Piloting Crashed Jet
An official federal safety report has revealed details about the tragic plane crash involving former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. The document, published this Friday, indicates that Biffle was not at the controls of the aircraft at the time of the accident, which occurred last month and claimed the lives of seven people.
The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicates that the pilot in command was Dennis Dutton, a former airline pilot. Both Dutton, his son Jack, and Biffle, noticed problems with the functioning of the Cessna C550’s indicators before the accident, while attempting to return to Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.
The plane caught fire upon impact with the ground, about 550 meters from the airport runway.
The NTSB clarified that Jack Dutton was in the co-pilot’s seat. Neither of them had the necessary authorization on their pilot licenses to act as co-pilot on that plane, although it is not clear if this influenced the accident. The report mentions that a thrust reverser indicator light was not working before takeoff and that, after takeoff, the pilot’s altimeter and other instruments were also not working.
The exact nature of the plane’s problems is still unclear at this stage of the investigation, partly because the cockpit voice recorder was interrupted at times and NTSB experts have just begun to analyze the causes of the accident. By radio, Jack Dutton announced: “We have some problems here”, and the cockpit recorder captured part of the conversation about the plane’s problems.
In the accident, Biffle’s wife, Cristina, and their children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, also died, along with their friend Craig Wadsworth.
Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races in the three NASCAR categories, including 19 in the Cup Series. He was also crowned champion of the Trucks Series in 2000 and the Xfinity Series in 2002.
In 2024, Biffle was recognized for his humanitarian work after Hurricane Helene passed through the United States, and even used his personal helicopter to bring aid to flooded and remote areas of western North Carolina.
Hundreds of people from the NASCAR community gathered in a Charlotte pavilion earlier this month to honor Biffle at a public memorial service.
The jet had taken off from Statesville Regional Airport, about 72 kilometers north of Charlotte, about 10 minutes before crashing while attempting to return and land.
The plane’s speed and altitude fluctuated significantly during the short flight. At one point, the plane rapidly ascended from 550 meters to 1,220 meters before descending again. Just before the crash, it was a few hundred meters from the ground. Experts indicated that its trajectory was consistent with that of a crew that experienced a problem and needed to return quickly.
