The National Transportation Safety Board held a media briefing Friday afternoon to provide an update on Thursday’s crash at the Statesville Regional Airport involving Greg Biffle and his family.
A few notes:
- At 10:15am/et yesterday, Greg Biffle’s plane crashed while attempting to land.
- There were seven people on board and there were no survivors.
- Additional information regarding the fatalities will be provided by the local medial examiner.
- The NTSB investigates all aircraft crashes and makes recommendations to prevent future accidents.
- There is a team of 16 people on site.
- There will be no speculation on the cause of the accident while they are on scene.
- A complete report will be issued ones the investigation is complete, which is expected to be 12-18 months
- A preliminary report will be issued within 30 days.
- Due to the weather, investigators were not able to launch a drone today to document the debris field.
- The airport will continue to be closed at least through tomorrow.
Information determined so far:
- The aircraft was built in 1981.
- It took off at 10:05am/et
- Upon takeoff, the plane made a left turn to the west then another left to the east back toward the airport.
- The initial point of impact was 1800 feet from the end of the runway.
- The post-impact fire consumed much of the fuselage.
- Both engines were still attached upon impact.
- The cockpit voice recorder was recovered.
- There was no flight data recorder. It was not required for the flight.
- The pilot of the plane has not been identified with certainty.
- There were low cloud ceilings and drizzle at the airport, but it’s unknown if weather played a role in the accident.
- NTSB is currently unaware of anyone sending texts from the plane before the accident.
NTSB will remain on the ground as long as needed to complete the investigation.