At least two pilots were on Greg Biffle’s plane that crashed in Statesville, records show

STATESVILLE, N.C. — As federal investigators look into the cause of a deadly plane crash in Statesville Thursday that killed seven people, including Greg Biffle and several members of his family, federal records show at least two certified pilots were on board at the time:  the NASCAR legend himself and an airline pilot.

FAA records show Biffle had just received certification to fly a multi-engine plane in March 2025. Officials have not said whether he was flying the plane at the time of the crash, but a former National Transportation Safety Board senior air safety investigator said Biffle’s private pilot’s license would not have allowed him to be the sole pilot on that flight. FAA records show Dennis Dutton, named by the families as among those who died, is an airline transport pilot and is rated to fly the specific kind of aircraft, but was required to have a second in command on board. His son Jack Dutton, also listed among those who passed away, was recently certified as a single engine pilot, according to FAA records.

During a briefing Friday, NTSB said investigators have not yet been able to verify who was flying the plane, but noted “three of the occupants did possess a pilot’s license.”

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Greg Feith said who was flying the plane at the time is one of three pressing questions on his mind at this early stage.

“One, who was in the front of the airplane? Who was actually manipulating the flight controls at the time of the event and what transpired? Two, what was going on in the aircraft with at least following through with trying to get the airplane back to the airport in an expeditious manner? And three, what kind of recent maintenance history is there with not only the aircraft itself, but the two engines?” Feith told WCNC Charlotte.

FAA registration indicates the plane’s tail number, N257BW, is owned by GB Aviation Leasing, a company owned by Biffle. The Cessna 550 multi-engine plane was made in 1981, but Feith said the age of the aircraft should not raise alarm. However, ensuring its maintenance is critical.

“If we were required to maintain our automobiles like we’re required to maintain an aircraft, your car would last 30 or 40 years,” Feith said. “It’ll come down to what kind of maintenance has been done in the recent past, not only on the airframe, but also on those engines. Was there a chronic problem? Was there a symptomatic issue that had developed in the recent past? Was it maintained properly? These are the kinds of questions that the NTSB will put together with regard to maintenance records.”

Beyond who was in charge of the flight controls at the time of the crash and its maintenance records, Feith added, from looking at the flight path, it appears it took longer than he’d expect for the plane to turn around and attempt to land after a likely engine issue. He said, while pilots generally know how to fly and land with only one engine functioning, if an engine fails in a catastrophic way, pilots can lose all control.

“In the flight path, it looks like they’re trying to fly a normalized pattern to get back to the runway that they took off on rather than taking a 200-degree turn and land opposite direction,” Feith explained. “Land slightly downwind if you need to, but get the airplane on the ground under control and that’s the key. The question for the investigators will be, did the pilots lose control of the aircraft? You don’t want to second-guess what was going on because we’re not in the cockpit, we don’t know all of the external factors that are influencing the actions, the inactions and of course the decision making, but you want to put a timeline together to try and understand.”

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