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The pilot of the deadly crash in North Carolina that killed former Nascar driver Greg Biffle and his family has not been identified more than 24 hours later, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials said Friday.
NTSB Board Member Michael Graham spoke to the media about the preliminary findings of his investigation into Thursday’s plane crash that killed all seven people on board a flight bound for the Bahamas.
The No. 69 Greg Biffle kisses his daughter as Christina Grosso looks on before getting into his car during the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience event at Slinger Speedway on July 10, 2021, in Slinger, Wisconsin. (Logan Riley/SRX via Getty Images)
According to Graham, three people on board the Cessna C550 plane were licensed pilots, but officials were unable until Friday to verify the identity of the flight’s pilot.
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“This is the beginning of a very long process and while we are on the scene here in North Carolina we will not jump to any conclusions,” Graham said of the entire investigation.
The plane was owned by GB Aviation Leasing LLC, according to federal aviation records. The company is owned by Biffle, which is rated to fly helicopters, single-engine and multi-engine aircraft.
Biffle, 55, was killed alongside his wife, Christina, and two children, Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14. Three other people killed on board the plane were identified as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.
Greg Biffle celebrates in victory lane after winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, on October 3, 2010. (Aurelien Wagner, AP File/Photo)
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The seven-person flight was en route to the Bahamas via Sarasota, Florida, when it crashed at Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte. NTSB Investigator in Charge Dan Baker said the plane took off at about 10:05 a.m. ET and began returning to the airport five minutes after takeoff.
The plane crashed about 10 minutes after take-off.
Officials did not provide a reason and noted that weather conditions were relatively calm despite light rain. The initial report will be released within 30 days, and the full investigation could take 12 to 18 months before the final report is released, Graham said.
Greg Biffle is introduced during a driver introduction before a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on July 5, 2015. (Terry Reyna, AP File/Photo)
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According to officials, the plane’s black box has been recovered from the scene and is on its way to Washington, D.C., where it will be analyzed.
“I can also confirm that our team was able to locate and recover the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), which is one of the plane’s black boxes,” Graham said, noting that the plane did not have a flight data recorder but was not required to have one either.
Greg Biffle, 55, has won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Truck Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.
NASCAR described Biffle as “a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to many.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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