BY STACIE LETT CAIN
The National Transportation Safety Board held its first briefing about the plane crash at the Statesville Regional Airport that claimed seven lives on Thursday.
A Cessna Citation 550, which was owned by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, crashed about 10:15 a.m. while attempting to land on Runway 2-8, NTSB Board Member Michael Graham said.
Although many sources close to Biffle have confirmed that he, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, son Ryder and three others, Dennis and Jack Dutton and Craig Wadsworth, were aboard the plane, the NTSB did not to confirm their identities.
“On behalf of the NTSB, I want to express our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones who lost their lives in this terrible tragedy. We know those on board were deeply rooted in this community and it is especially tough on families this time of year,” Graham said during Friday afternoon’s briefing. “You will be in our thoughts and prayers during this time.”
The NTSB team arrived on Thursday and spent all day Friday at the crash site. A team of 16 experts, led by Investigator-in-Charge Dan Baker, will process the crash site.
“This is the beginning of a very long process and we will not jump to any conclusions while we are on scene, nor will we offer any speculation as to what happened,” Graham explained. “A preliminary report will be issues in approximately 30 days, but a full investigation lasts 12 to 18 months before a final report is released.”
Investigators will conduct a review of operating systems of the plane, engine and engine accessories and the history of the flight and crew members flight experience, training and certifications. Consultants from both the Federal Aviation Administration, Textron, the manufacturer of the plane, and Pratt and Whitney – Canada, which manufactured the engine, will all be part of the investigation process.
Graham said investigators have not verified who was piloting the plane when it crashed.
“We know there were three occupants on the plane that did possess a pilot’s license. We do not have verification as to who was actually piloting the aircraft.”
Baker provided a brief narrative about the events leading up to the crash:
The aircraft took off at 10:05 a.m., about ten minutes prior to the accident, from Runway 1-0. Preliminary data indicates that the aircraft made a preliminary left turn to the west followed by another left turn towards the east, back towards the airport approximately five minutes after take-off. The airplane then turned a left base turn to Runway 2-8. The point of impact was a runway light stanchion about 1,800 feet from the runway threshold. The airplane impacted trees, two other runway light stanchions and the airport perimeter fence short of the runway threshold before coming to rest near the runway threshold, heading easterly.
According to Baker, all four corners of the airplane and fight control surfaces have been identified within the wreckage and the debris field. Both engines were present with the main wreckage.
Graham advised that NTSB investigators will analyze all automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) data from the aircraft, radar, video recordings, witness statements, audio recordings and weather conditions as a part of the investigation. He advised anyone who was a witness to the crash, has video footage of it, or heard anything from the impact to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
Crews were able to locate and recover the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), one of the black boxes from the aircraft, but the plane did not have and was not required to have a flight data recorder on board, Graham said.
The next step in the investigation will be to secure and move the wreckage to a secure location for further investigation once a drone is used to map the debris field.
Graham thanked all first responders, the medical examiner’s office, local and state law enforcement and everyone assisting in the investigation who have worked to secure the site and maintain evidence at the site of the crash.
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