Aviation experts are investigating what caused the pilots of Greg Biffle’s plane, which was traveling from Statesville, North Carolina, to Florida, to return to the airport moments after takeoff. The aircraft crashed during that approach, leading to the death of Biffle and his family.
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There has been no official statement confirming the cause of the crash, but several speculations have recently begun circulating. On his YouTube channel, Kenny Wallace also shared his opinion on what he believes may have happened.
“I think the plane took off, I think they lost a motor, and then, I guess it started having a lot of drag on it. Yes, we know it should fly just perfectly with one motor,” Wallace said.
With the flaps being down, the horsepower low, and the drag high, the plane just didn’t get to the runway, the former NASCAR driver speculated.
“I think it was just a tragic loss of life. And that’s what I respectfully think would have happened. Now, you respond right here, but you know, the landing gear was down, the flaps were down, and it didn’t have enough horsepower to get to the runway, and it was short. I mean, that’s what I think,” added Wallace,
While his theory is based on logic, Wallace’s thoughts are assumptions, and cannot, of course, be taken as fact. The investigation into what truly happened is still ongoing.
One of the black boxes from the Cessna has been taken to Washington, D.C., for inspection. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also maintains records of all maintenance work performed on the aircraft, which should help provide a comprehensive picture of the cause.
The last message sent from Biffle’s plane
“Emergency landing.” That’s what the frantic text that one of the passengers aboard the plane had sent right before the crash. Michael Graham, a member of the NSTB, said in a news conference on Saturday that they haven’t been able to identify who sent this message.
About 10 minutes before the accident, the plane made a left turn followed by another left turn as it attempted to return to the airport. Officials suspect there may have been a fault with the aircraft, prompting the pilot to turn back.
The plane crashed at around 10:15 a.m. while attempting to land on a different runway from the one it departed from. Further clarity is expected once the black box is analyzed.
