Federal investigators have released new details about the plane crash that killed former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. The update centers on a short text message sent from inside the aircraft shortly before it crashed near Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.
The message, which read “emergency landing,” was confirmed by the National Transportation Safety Board during a public briefing. Officials say the flight lasted only minutes and unfolded too quickly for a distress call to air traffic control.
Investigators are now working to piece together what happened inside the cockpit and why the jet failed to stop during its attempted return. A full investigation is expected to take more than a year to complete.
What investigators say about the flight’s final minutes
The crash happened on Thursday morning, December 18, about 10 minutes after the Cessna Citation 550 took off from Statesville Regional Airport. According to Motorsport.com reporter Matt Weaver, the aircraft went down at about 10:15 a.m. near the approach end of Runway 28 and left behind a debris field stretching roughly 1,800 feet.
NTSB board member Michael Graham said the aircraft appeared to be attempting to return to the airport after a problem developed shortly after takeoff. “We do not know the circumstances which led the aircraft to attempt to return to the airport, but that is the focus of our investigation,” Graham said during a press conference, as reported by Fox News reporter Paulina Dedaj.
Graham confirmed the plane did not make it back to the runway before the first impact. “Yes, it did hit the ground before getting to the runway, he said.” He added that investigators are still reviewing witness marks and video to determine the exact sequence of impacts as the aircraft came down.
The emergency text message and recovered evidence
One of the most important details released so far is the text message sent from the plane. During a follow-up briefing, Graham confirmed that one passenger sent a brief message to a family member on the ground during the flight. The message read, “Emergency landing.”
“This morning, I can confirm that the NTSB is aware of one brief text from a passenger aboard the aircraft to a family member that read, ‘Emergency landing, Graham said,” according to Dedaj’s report for Fox News. He added that investigators are not aware of any other communications sent from the aircraft to people on the ground.
Investigators have also recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage. According to Weaver’s reporting, Graham said the size of the debris field means documenting the scene will take time. “It’s fairly long, so it’s scattered wide and out, so it’s going to take some time to document all that, Graham said.”
At this stage, officials say there was no mayday call or distress signal made to air traffic control. Graham said it remains too early to say whether the issue involved mechanical failure, pilot actions, or other factors.
Victims, pilots, and next steps in the investigation
All seven people on board the jet were killed. The victims included Greg Biffle, 55, his wife Cristina Grossu Biffle, their children Emma and Ryder, longtime NASCAR associate Craig Wadsworth, and Dennis and Jack Dutton.
Another key question investigators are trying to answer is who was flying the plane. Graham said three people on board held pilot licenses, but officials have not yet confirmed who was at the controls at the time of the crash. “At this time, we have been unable to verify who was piloting the airplane, Graham said during the briefing, as reported by Motorsport.com.”
A full report could take between 12 and 18 months to complete. Investigators will continue reviewing cockpit audio, aircraft records, pilot history, and witness accounts as they work to determine why the short flight ended in a fatal crash.
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