On Thursday 18th December, a Cessna 550 Citation II crashed at Statesville Regional Airport, resulting in several casualties, including NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. Investigators continue to probe into the incident, while victims of the Statesville Cessna 550 crash have now all been identified.
NTSB Investigate why the aircraft turned back
A Cessna 550 flight from Statesville regional airport in North Carolina, bound for Sarasota, Florida, turned back only 10 minutes after take-off, with investigators still searching for the reason why such an abrupt change was made.
National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham has suggested that “early indications from multiple sources indicate that the airplane was stable on approach, configured for landing with the landing lights on, but the aircraft was coming in low.”
Upon its return, the aircraft hit the airport approach lights, which were installed about 1,800ft from the end of the runway. Following the accident, the lights will remain unavailable until further notice.
All victims in the crash have been identified
Tragically, the Statesville crash claimed the lives of Greg Biffle, a 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominee, as well as six other people, including Biffle’s wife and two children. Among the other victims were a Delta Airlines employee, Dennis Dutton and his son, in addition to Craig Wadsworth, a NASCAR driver. Investigators have managed to retrieve the plane’s caution and warning panel from the instrument panel. Graham has said that they “are being sent to NTSB recorders’ lab in Washington, D.C., and we will determine whether data and relevant information can be recovered from these units.”
The preliminary report of the incident will be released 30 days from the date of the crash, but the final report itself will take around 12-18 months to put together.
Continue to follow us here on Travel Radar for updates on the Statesville Cessna 550 crash.
