“A Gathering in Remembrance” will be held for the public Friday morning. It will also be livestreamed.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β A remembrance event honoring the lives lost in the Statesville plane crash of Dec. 18 will be held at Bojangles Coliseum on Friday, Jan. 16.Β
“A Gathering in Remembrance” will be held for the public Friday morning. It will also be livestreamed for anyone who can’t make it.Β
The event remembers the victims of the plane crash: NASCAR legend Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, his children Emma and Ryder, Craig Wadsworth, Dennis Dutton and his son Jack Dutton.Β
The plane crash occurred on Thursday, Dec. 18.Β
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. NTSB board member Michael Graham confirmedΒ that someone on the plane sent a text message to a family member about an emergency landing moments before the crash. Officials say the plane crashed approximately 10 minutes after takeoff.Β
Multiple witness statements and early evidence indicate the aircraft was stable on approach and configured properly for landing with its lights on, but was flying too low, Graham said.
The planeΒ struck an approach light stanchion located approximately 1,800 feet from the runway threshold. That impact point is consistent with the debris field investigators surveyed.Β
The NTSB recovered the cockpit voice recorder, which has been sent to its headquarters in Washington, D.C., for analysis. Though the aircraft was not required to carry a cockpit voice recorder as a Part 91 general aviation flight, it was equipped with one.
Graham clarified that investigators are still gathering information about the pilots on board and do not yet know who was in the left seat at the time of the crash. More information about all pilot-rated occupants is expected to be included in the preliminary report.
A preliminary report is expected, while the final report determining the probable cause will take 12 to 18 months.
More details on “A Gathering in Remembrance” are expected to release.Β
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