The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has provided the first pieces of information about a tragic plane crash that occurred at the Statesville Regional Airport on Thursday.
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This crash involved a Cessna C550 carrying former NASCAR champion Greg Biffle, wife Cristina, son Ryder, daughter Emma, Dennis Dutton, Jack Dutton, and Craig Wadsworth. There were no survivors.
NTSB board member Michael Graham and investigator in charge Dan Baker met with media members on Friday afternoon and provided the information that they could share. Though they stressed these details could change as the investigation proceeds. A preliminary report will be due within 30 days. A full investigation could take 12-18 months.
According to Baker, the crash occurred approximately 10 minutes after takeoff. The Cessna attempted to return to runway 28, but it struck a light stanchion roughly 1,800 feet from the runway threshold. The plane contacted a treeline, two other light stanchions, and the runway perimeter fence before coming to a rest near the runway threshold.
"Post impact fire consumed the majority of the fuselage and the inboard wing sections," Baker said. "All four corners of the airplane and flight control surfaces have been identified in the wreckage and the debris field.
"Both engines were present with the main wreckage at the time of the accident."
Graham noted to media members that the NTSB investigators have already recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), one of the black boxes from the aircraft. This CVR is en route to Washington, D.C., for further examination. The Cessna did not have a flight data recorder, nor was it required.
As the investigation continues, Graham and the NTSB aim to obtain as much information as possible from witnesses. They requested any video footage from phones, door cameras, or other sources be emailed to [email protected]. Graham said that they are currently talking to some witnesses, but these are preliminary discussions.
At this time, the investigators do not know who piloted the aircraft on Thursday morning. Three of the occupants possessed pilot's licenses. The number of pilots also remains unclear considering that this particular Cessna can operate with multiple crew configurations.
"The answer is both, it depends," Graham said. "I believe that at this point there is a waiver that you can have to single pilot operate that aircraft. And many, many pilots do — of this type of aircraft — do fly this aircraft single pilot with the waiver, and it can also be flown with a crew."
The cause of the crash remains unclear. The investigators have not yet determined if a mechanical problem forced the attempted emergency landing, or if something else factored into the crash. They are not currently aware of any mayday calls that went out from the plane.
The NTSB will work with multiple organizations during the investigation to examine the different possibilities. The list of those involved includes aircraft manufacturer Textron Aviation, engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). More groups could join as the investigation continues.
"For this accident, we have established the following parties," Graham said. "First one is systems. They will examine components of the airplanes — hydraulic, electrical, navigational, pneumatic and associated systems — together with instruments and elements of the flight control system.
"The group will also examine the maintenance records. Another group is power plants, which will examine engines and the engine accessories. And the final group we have at this time — although we can add groups if necessary — is operations, which will document the history of the flight and the crew members, flight experience, training, and certification."
