NASCAR’s Greg Biffle wasn’t flying his plane before crash that killed him and 6 others

By Canadian Press on January 30, 2026.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was not flying his own jet when it crashed last month, killing him and six others, according to a Friday report from federal safety officials who also concluded that no one on board was qualified to serve as copilot of the aircraft.

The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said that Biffle and the retired airline pilot at the controls, Dennis Dutton, and his son Jack all noticed problems with gauges malfunctioning on the Cessna C550 before it crashed while trying to return to the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.

Biffle’s wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, were killed in the crash along with his friend, Craig Wadsworth.

Josh Funk, The Associated Press