Greg Biffle’s death earlier this month shocked the entire NASCAR community, with aviation experts still pondering what caused the pilots of his jet to return to the airport moments after takeoff. It was during that approach that the plane crashed, killing Biffle and his entire family.
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Biffle was traveling from Statesville, North Carolina, to Florida to celebrate Christmas with Cleetus McFarland, a well-known YouTuber.
There has been no official confirmation regarding 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.
Wallace said, “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.”
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 continued, “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.”
While his theory aligns with simple logic, there is no way to confirm Wallace’s thoughts 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 that was 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.
