NASCAR champion Greg Biffle was not behind the controls of his airplane when it crashed in December of 2025, according to investigators.
What Caused Greg Biffle’s Plane Crash?
According to the Associated Press, a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that retired airline pilot Dennis Dutton was at the controls of the plane when it crashed in North Carolina on Dec. 18, killing everyone on board.
The initial findings also conclude that Dutton’s son, Jack, was co-piloting the aircraft and was not qualified to do so.
Biffle, Dutton and Dutton’s son were all licensed pilots.
However, neither Biffle nor the younger Dutton had the right endorsement on their licenses to co-pilot the plane, and Jack Dutton only had approximately 175 hours of flying experience.
Jeff Guzzetti —an aviation consultant who has investigated plane crashes for both the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration — tells the AP that not having an experienced co-pilot could have been a major contributing factor in the crash.
“This airplane requires two trained pilots, and if things go wrong and you don’t have a trained pilot, then bad things can happen,” Guzzetti states. “The airplane might have been able to be landed safely if there were two qualified pilots up front.”
How Did Greg Biffle Die?
Biffle, his son Ryder, his 14-year-old daughter Emma and his wife Cristina were among the seven people killed on Dec. 18, when his plane crashed while trying to make an emergency landing at an airport north of Charlotte.
All seven were remembered during a public celebration of life on Jan. 16.
Related: Greg Biffle, Son’s Obituary Will Really Break Your Heart
Greg Biffle Cause of Death
Biffle died in a plane crash near Statesville Regional Airport outside of Charlotte, N.C.
The plane took off, and the aircraft was attempting an emergency landing 10 minutes later when it crashed into trees and light poles approximately one-third of a mile from the runway.
Several witnesses recalled hearing a “pop” upon takeoff. Poor weather may have also played a role in the crash.
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