Tragic plane crash claims former NASCAR star Greg Biffle's family

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This is former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. And this is Greg with his wife Christina, their son, and his daughter from his first marriage. This is the text message that Christina sent her mother, Kathy, moments before the December 18th crash. We're in trouble, she said. It was her last communication to anyone outside of the airplane. At 10:15 a.m., Biffle's jet crashed just short of the runway as the pilot tried to make an emergency landing at Statesville Regional Airport. If you search for it, you'll find video of the crash and the aftermath. And these images show an airplane in flames. I'm not going to show those pictures here today. Instead, we're going to focus on the seven victims and what family is saying about the lives that each one led. will also share what we know about the potential cause of the accident. And I guess I'd like to begin by saying it's not clear that Greg was the pilot. In fact, there's reason to believe that someone else was at the controls, but subscribers to this channel know we don't waste time getting to the thing promised in the title of the video. So, let's get to the family statements. And I'll start with the list of those killed. In addition to Biffl, his wife Christina, his seven-year-old son Ryder, and his 14-year-old daughter Emma, a man named Dennis Dutton, and his son Jack are also listed. More on them in a moment. The seventh person was Craig Wodssworth, seen here in the middle next to driver Kenny Wallace. Kenny shares that Craig was a driver for him for 6 years. And further reporting reveals that Craig was a friend of Greg's who did plenty of work for him as well. Veteran NASCAR journalist Bob Pocrass was first to share a statement from four of the affected families. The Biffles, Christina's family, the Dutton, and the Londers. Nicole Lunders was Greg's ex-wife, and please keep her in your prayers today as well as she just lost a teenage daughter. We are devastated by the loss of our loved ones. This tragedy has left all of our families heartbroken beyond words. The statement begins before a few specific memories about those who died. Greg and Christina were devoted parents and active philanthropists. It reads, "And fans really got to see this recently as they donated time, money, and Greg's helicopter pilot expertise to help victims and families affected by Hurricane Helen in western North Carolina. Emma was a wonderful human being with a kind soul who was loved by many people. The statement continues, "Ryder was an active, curious, and infinitely joyful child." That one hurts most because if you followed Greg on social media, you saw Ryder all the time. He was fishing with dad or he was at the track with him. And he even had a favorite driver, Richard Petty. A pretty good pick, right? I dropped a link to Greg's Instagram page in the description section below if you'd like to see more of those photos. It's become a great tribute wall for him and his family as well. Craig Wodsworth is remembered as a beloved member of the NASCAR community who will be missed and so too are Dennis and Jack Dutton. There's not an informative social media profile for these two men, but we can verify a few things that are important to what happened. Credit to WCNC in Charlotte for the work here. Biffl was just recently certified to fly a multi-engine plane. That means his license would not have allowed him to be the only pilot on the flight. Dennis Dutton is listed as an airline transport pilot by the FAA and his son Jack was also a single engine pilot. The TV station shares that Dennis would have needed a second in command to fly. I actually did find a social media profile for Dennis, who's listed as a pilot for a major airline. That profile is private. However, here's the graphic that shows Biffl's plane's flight pattern. It was a Cessna C550. And you can see he takes off heading east, loops around to fly west and eventually south. Remember, he was flying to Sarasota, Florida to link up with YouTube personality Cletus McFarland. It was also a birthday trip. People shares he would have been 56 years old next Tuesday. [music] Further information shows that the plane lost altitude within a first few kilometers before it started to climb again. Shortly after, it banked left, did a 360, seemingly to line up with the west edge of the runway, and then the plane banks right, makes a very tight left turn 360, and attempts to land. Weather in the area was poor, but to say more would be to speculate. The FAA is actively investigating. We ask for privacy, compassion, and understanding as we grieve and begin to process this unimaginable loss. The family statement continues, "We are grateful for the kindness and support that has been extended to our families during this incredibly difficult time. If you are a fan of Gregs or just NASCAR, honor him with a memory below. I'm Billy Dukes for Taste of Country. Thanks for watching and thanks for subscribing.