National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials held a press conference to share preliminary findings as they begin an investigation into a plane crash in Statesville, North Carolina that killed seven people, includng a NASCAR driver, Greg Biffle, and his family. NTSB Board Member Michael Graham said the investigation was in early stages and information was still being collected. He took questions from press and urged witnesses to share any relevant testimony or video related to the crash with the NTSB
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00:00National Transportation Safety Board officials shared preliminary findings as they begin an investigation into a plane crash in Statesville, North Carolina, that killed seven people, including a NASCAR driver and his family.
00:14They took questions from the press and urged witnesses to share any relevant testimony or video related to the crash with the NTSB.
00:22Dan is a senior accident investigator with more than 25 years experience at accident investigations, both at the NTSB and the Air Force.
00:38Dan and our team are also supported by our deputy investigator in charge, Andrew Swick, and he is currently at the accident site at this time.
00:49I want to emphasize this is the beginning of a very long process, and we will not jump to any conclusions while we're here on scene in North Carolina, nor will we speculate.
01:07Early this morning, we held an organizational meeting where we established parties to the investigation.
01:13The NTSB offers party status to those we believe provide needed technical or specialized expertise to the investigation.
01:24Eventually, each investigative group, which I will describe in a minute, will produce a factual report, which each of the parties will verify its accuracy.
01:35Importantly, however, parties do not participate in the analysis or the report writing.
01:43Parties to the investigation so far are the Federal Aviation Administration, and they are always a party to an aircraft accident.
01:53And Textron Aviation Incorporated, which was the manufacturer of the aircraft.
01:59Additionally, Pratt & Whitney Canada, the engine manufacturer, is serving as technical advisor to the investigation.
02:07As part of our investigation, we form groups to examine specific areas of interest in depth.
02:16These groups include subject matter experts from the parties of our investigation, working in conjunction with our NTSB specialists on the factual portions of the investigation.
02:28For this accident, we have established the following parties.
02:32The first one is systems.
02:33The first one is systems.
02:35They will examine components of the airplane's hydraulic, electrical, navigational, pneumatic, and associated systems,
02:46together with instruments and elements of the flight control system.
02:51The group will also examine the maintenance records.
02:55Another group is power plants, which will examine engines and the engine accessories.
03:03And the final group we have at this time, although we can add groups if necessary, is operations,
03:09which will document the history of the flight and the crew members' flight experience, training, and certification.
03:17A preliminary report of this accident is expected within 30 days.
03:25However, a full investigation lasts 12 to 18 months before a final report is released.
03:38The information that we provide today is preliminary, and it's subject to change during the course of this investigation.
03:45I would now like to turn it over to our investigator in charge, Dan Baker, to share some factual information.
03:52Dan.
03:54Thank you, Member Graham.
03:58The aircraft was manufactured in 1981 by the Cessna Aircraft Company, and it was registered to GB Aviation Leasing, LLC.
04:07The airplane had taken off at approximately 10.05 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, about 10 minutes prior to the accident.
04:17The airplane had departed from runway 28 at the Statesville Regional Airport.
04:22Preliminary ADS-B data showed the airplane made an initial left turn to the west,
04:28followed by another left turn back to the east towards the airport, approximately five minutes after takeoff.
04:40The airplane then flew a left base turn to runway 28.
04:45The initial point of impact was a runway light stanchion located about 1,800 feet from the runway threshold.
04:52The airplane subsequently impacted trees, two other runway light stanchions,
05:01and the airport perimeter fence short of the runway threshold before coming to rest near the runway threshold.
05:08The airplane also came to rest oriented on an easterly heading.
05:16Post-impact fire consumed the majority of the fuselage and the inboard wing sections.
05:22All four corners of the airplane and flight control surfaces have been identified in the wreckage and the debris field.
05:28Both engines were present with the main wreckage.
05:31At the time of the accident, visual meteorological conditions prevailed,
05:35with drizzle and broken ceilings at 1,200 and 2,200 feet, as well as a 5,000-foot ceiling, were present.
05:47The wind was calm with five statute miles visibility.
05:50I will now hand it over to Member Graham for any questions.
06:00A few more things before I take questions.
06:02We are analyzing radar, ADS-B data, video footage, witness statements, audio recordings, and more as part of our investigation.
06:12We will also begin coordinating wreckage removal as part of our standard investigation process,
06:19and so we can move the wreckage to a safe location, make sure it's secure, and so we can follow up and conduct further analysis.
06:28I can also confirm that our team was able to locate and recover the cockpit voice recorder, the CVR, one of the black boxes from the aircraft.
06:39The aircraft, as we know, it only had the CVR, did not have a flight data recorder, nor was it required to have either one of these for this flight.
06:49And that cockpit voice recorder is en route back to Washington, D.C. right now to be analyzed.
06:58I'd like to ask, if anyone in the public has any photos, videos, door crammer video, debris, or were witnesses to this accident,
07:11we ask that you please contact us via email at witness at ntsb.gov.
07:20Again, that is witness at ntsb.gov.
07:28We will provide further updates as they become available.
07:32Our team will remain here on the ground in North Carolina as long as we believe it is necessary to gather evidence for our investigation.
07:43You can follow the NTSB on X at ntsb underscore newsroom or on our website at ntsb.gov for the latest information.
07:54Finally, I would like to give a heartfelt thanks in gratitude to the first responders who responded to this accident,
08:04as well as the medical examiner's office, the airport director, local and state law enforcement,
08:13and all those who have been assisting our investigation since before we arrived and as we arrived here on scene.
08:20I know they've been working very hard, and we appreciate them securing the site for us.
08:24And keeping it safe while we are here.
08:27And we appreciate all they have done.
08:30I will now take a few questions, but before I do, I would like to ask you to raise your hand.
08:36When I call on you, please state your name and your affiliation.
08:41Right here.
08:42Chris Benavides with CBS News.
08:44Just a couple of questions.
08:45Do we know who was piloting the aircraft?
08:48Chris's question is, do we know who was piloting the aircraft?
08:52At this time, we have been unable to verify who was flying the airplane.
08:58We do know three of the occupants did possess a pilot's license, but we have been unable to verify that at this time.
09:07But that is one of the things we're working on.
09:08And just a couple more questions.
09:10One follow-up, please.
09:11One follow-up, okay.
09:12Was there a mayday call?
09:14The question was, was there a mayday call?
09:16We are not aware that there was a mayday call.
09:20Right here.
09:21Jordan Bianchi, the athletic.
09:22The plane tried to return back to land.
09:27Do we know why that happened?
09:28Was it a mechanical issue or anything of that nature?
09:30The question is, we believe the plane was turning back to the airport immediately, maybe for some kind of issue.
09:36At this point, we are not aware if there was an actual issue or not.
09:42We are studying a lot of things.
09:44We are trying to get recordings from the various frequencies that the aircraft may have been on
09:49and any other witness statements that may have heard anything on the common frequency.
09:55Right there.
09:56Gary Robertson, Associated Press.
09:58What can you tell us about any indications of any problems with the plane as it was going out and coming back in?
10:05The question is, what can we tell you about if we know of anything, of any issues or problems with the airplane as it was going out
10:13and that it returned to the airport?
10:15At this point, we haven't been able to verify anything.
10:19We've seen things in the media and stuff like that, but that's not verification.
10:23We're talking to witnesses and we're trying to look at or listen to recordings and whatever.
10:28To see if there was any issue, but we haven't been able to verify anything at this point.
10:34Right there.
10:34Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer.
10:36What was the duration of time from takeoff to the crash?
10:40The question is, what was the duration of time from takeoff to the crash?
10:44It was approximately 10 minutes.
10:48Right there.
10:49Chris Peterson, WSI TV.
10:51Have you had the opportunity to interview witnesses yet,
10:54and what kind of information have you been able to garner from those witnesses?
10:57The question is, have we had an opportunity to interview any of the witnesses at this point,
11:03and what kind of information have we received?
11:05At this point, we are doing some interviews right now on site.
11:10We're looking for additional witnesses.
11:12That's why I've put that out during the briefing.
11:15But we don't have anything to share.
11:17It's much too early to talk about any of that, and that would go into our analysis section.
11:22Let me come over here.
11:23Anybody over here?
11:23Jen Cardo, Queen City News.
11:26Was this C-550 Citation jet single pilot or two pilots approved or required?
11:32The question is, was the Citation 550 single pilot or two pilot approved?
11:39The answer is both.
11:43It depends.
11:44I believe that at this point there is a waiver that you can have to single pilot operate that aircraft,
11:50and many, many pilots do, of this type of aircraft, do fly this aircraft single pilot with a waiver,
11:58and it can also be flown with a crew.
12:01Stephanie Escobar, Spectrum News.
12:03Did the weather play any role in this accident?
12:07The question is, did the weather play any role in this accident?
12:09Well, the weather was, it was visual flight rules, but there were low ceilings out there,
12:15and there was heavy drizzle at the time.
12:18So that is one of the three things that we really mainly look at.
12:22We look at the people operating the aircraft.
12:25We look at the aircraft itself, and then we look at the environment,
12:27and the weather is one of those we look at and will look at very closely.
12:31Let me come over here.
12:32Dave Bailey with WSOC, off the end of the runway, into that golf course area, that roadway right there,
12:39can you talk about some of the damage I saw of your guys out looking in that area today,
12:45some of the things you found out there?
12:47Sure.
12:47The question is about what is some of the damage we've seen just short of the runway 28
12:55that we were looking at today and continue to look at.
12:58As Dan had said, the first contact was with some of the approach lighting system.
13:04There were several approach lighting systems coming to that, lights coming to that runway
13:09that were hit by the aircraft.
13:12There was also a tree line on the edge of the golf course before hitting the service road
13:19or the aircraft perimeter road out there.
13:23Many tree limbs and the trees were knocked down and broken off at that point.
13:28Just a quick follow-up.
13:30Did it hit the ground prior to getting to the runway?
13:33We know that happened.
13:35The question is, did the aircraft hit the ground prior to getting to the runway?
13:39The response to that is, yes, it did hit the ground before getting to the runway.
13:44Outside the fence of the airport, would that be accurate to say?
13:47Outside the fence is what the question is.
13:54It's right in that vicinity is where the witness marks are.
13:59So we're still evaluating that at this time.
14:01Right here.
14:01Katie Solt, WVTV.
14:03Was the proximity of the trees to the runway believed to be a factor at all in the plane's
14:08attempt to make an emergency landing?
14:10The question is, was the proximity of the trees to the airport a factor in the plane's ability
14:17to land at the airport?
14:20The airport actually sits a little bit up on the hill on the plateau, so the trees would
14:25have been in line with the lighting above the ground.
14:29So we do have witnesses that said the aircraft came in very low.
14:35Okay.
14:36Can you over here?
14:37Right in the back.
14:38Dan with Firewire Community Patients.
14:40The plane took off on runway 1-0 by what we've been able to see online, and it came back
14:45to land at runway 2-8.
14:47Have you talked to the airport director to see why there was any reason he didn't land
14:51on runway 1-0 and made the turn to go to 2-8?
14:55So the question is, the aircraft took off on runway 1-0, and when it came back, it landed
15:02on runway 2-8.
15:04We are still evaluating why.
15:07As we looked at the winds, either direction would be appropriate.
15:13You normally want to land into the wind.
15:15There was reported no wind at that time.
15:17So that's one of the things we're looking at at this point.
15:20It's going to be some time to get to that.
15:22Have you been able to determine if there were possibly maybe some other aircraft in
15:29the area that forced him to make a go around?
15:31The question is, were there maybe some other aircraft in the area that forced him to go
15:36around?
15:37At this time, we're not aware of any, but we're looking at any radar, ADS-B data.
15:42I don't think we saw any initially on the ADS-B data out there that there were other aircraft.
15:46That's all I have on that at this time.
15:52Blue Jack.
15:53Joe from Charlotte, Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer.
15:56Just a follow-up question.
15:57What was the length of the debris field?
15:59The length, the question is, what was the length of the debris field?
16:03I think we believe the first contact was 1,800 feet from the approach end of the runway.
16:11So it's fairly long, and it is scattered wide and out.
16:16So it's going to take some time to document all of that.
16:20We were unable to get our drone launched today with the high winds.
16:23So we want to get that digitally documented with the drone here, hopefully tomorrow, and
16:30we'll get a better idea of how wide and how much debris is out there.
16:35Right there.
16:36Melissa Rademacher, Fox 8 News.
16:38What type of information might witness statements or people providing pictures and videos give
16:42you that you wouldn't be able to find otherwise?
16:46The question is, what kind of statements or evidence might witnesses or videos be able
16:52to provide us?
16:52Videos sometimes will tell us a lot, give us additional information about maybe where the
17:00aircraft first struck the trees or something like that.
17:05Additional video on approach would be really helpful to us to get an idea of how high or
17:11low that aircraft was.
17:13Witnesses sometimes with something they heard, something they saw, things like that.
17:19We've received a lot of things, but we have been unable to verify any of it at this point,
17:24any of it as being credible.
17:27Right there.
17:27There have been some media reports about one of the victims texting a family member saying,
17:34quote, we're in trouble.
17:35Are you aware of that text, its veracity, and or is it playing a role in your investigation?
17:43The question is, there may have been a report of somebody texting out from the aircraft that
17:49they were in trouble.
17:50At this time, we're not aware of that.
17:53If somebody is aware of a text or anything like that, please make us aware of it and let us know
17:59via email and then we'll contact you.
18:01And same with the videos.
18:02If you have a video, contact us and we'll give you a way to send it to us because sometimes those
18:07videos don't always come across with a straight email.
18:10Right there.
18:11The question is, do we have an ETA of when the airport will open?
18:20At this time, I can't tell you that.
18:24Like I said, we still are in the process of documenting the accident site, and it'll be
18:30at least through tomorrow at this point.
18:33The question is, I made a mention of some witnesses talked about the aircraft being very low, and
18:49you're asking what have other witnesses said.
18:54At this point, we haven't been able, I haven't been able to speak with our team on that, and
18:59it's information that we want to first verify before we're definitely sure.
19:04I mean, we're able to verify the aircraft was low because of the contact with the approach
19:08lining and the trees, but the rest of it, we haven't been able to verify at this point.
19:13Two more questions.
19:15Right there.
19:16A follow-up, this specific type of Cessna, have there been past issues or crash investigations
19:21with this specific type of plane, maybe how many, how prevalent?
19:25The question is, have we had similar investigations and crashes of this aircraft and everything?
19:33We do a lot of crash investigation out there, and there's quite a few every year.
19:38I'd say this aircraft has been around a long time, and there are quite a few of them still
19:43in service.
19:44So I would say, you know, aviation's very safe.
19:49And I don't see any specific issues with this aircraft that are significant compared to any
19:54others at this point.
19:56Last one.
19:57You may have answered this earlier, how old is the aircraft itself?
20:01How old is the aircraft is the question.
20:04It was manufactured in 1981.
20:09And there's a lot of aircraft out there that are a lot older that, you know, as long as
20:13you keep up with your maintenance and inspection programs that all these aircraft should be on,
20:19they can fly for quite a long time, okay?
20:22That's all I have.
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