Investigators make chilling discovery on plane crash that killed NASCAR hero Greg Biffle and six others
NASCAR legend Greg Biffle was not flying his jet when it crashed last month, killing him and six others.
That is according to a report from federal safety officials, who also concluded that – while an experienced pilot was at the controls – no one else on board was qualified to be the copilot.
The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said that Biffle, the retired Delta pilot at the controls – Dennis Dutton – and his son Jack, all noticed issues with gauges malfunctioning on the Cessna C550 before it crashed on December 18.
The aircraft turned to a fireball as it hit the ground in North Carolina. The pilot was trying to return to Statesville Regional Airport but crashed around a third of a mile from the runway.
Biffle’s wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, were killed in the crash along with his friend Craig Wadsworth. In the wake of the tragedy, burglars stole $30,000 in cash, two handguns, NASCAR memorabilia and a backpack from Biffle’s mansion.
The NASCAR legend, Dennis Dutton and Jack Dutton were all licensed pilots and the NTSB made clear that Jack Dutton was sitting in the copilot seat.
The late NASCAR icon is seen with his wife, Christina, their son Ryder, and his daughter, Emma
Seven died in the North Carolina inferno, including Biffle’s two children and his friend
But neither he nor Biffle had the right endorsement on their pilot’s licenses to serve as a copilot on that plane. It is not clear whether the experience of the copilot played any role in the crash.
The report said that a thrust reverser indicator light wasn’t working before takeoff, but after the plane got into the air, the pilot’s altimeter and some other instruments weren’t working.
The nature of the problems with the plane isn’t clear at this stage in the investigation, partly because the cockpit voice recorder cut out at times and NTSB experts have only just begun to dig into what caused the crash.
Over the radio, Jack Dutton announced ‘we’re having some problems here,’ while the cockpit recorder captured part of the conversation between the three pilots about the issues with the plane.
Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR´s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.
In 2024, Biffle was honored for his humanitarian efforts after Hurricane Helene struck the US, even using his personal helicopter to deliver aid to flooded, remote western North Carolina.
Hundreds of people in the NASCAR community gathered at an arena in Charlotte earlier this month to honor Biffle at a public memorial service.
His jet had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte, about 10 minutes before it crashed.
Seven lost their lives after Biffle’s jet slammed into the runway at Statesville Regional Airport
The plane’s speed and altitude fluctuated significantly during the brief flight. At one point, the plane quickly soared from 1,800 feet (550 meters) up to 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) before descending again.
Just before the crash, it was only a couple of hundred feet off the ground. Experts said its path was consistent with a flight crew that experienced an issue and needed to return quickly.
Dennis Dutton’s former neighbor, Jonathan Donahue, previously alleged that the plane made a strange noise in the moments after takeoff.
He told The US Sun: ‘Dennis had been flying for 40 years. I imagine it was a mechanical error because he was a great leader and such a positive person. I couldn’t imagine anything being his fault.
‘All I know is that there was a large, loud pop, like something broke on the plane at takeoff, and he immediately had to turn around and make an emergency landing.’
