Plane crashes are a sensitive topic in the NASCAR community, all the more after Greg Biffle and his family’s tragic death last month. And if there’s someone who understands this, it’s Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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In August 2019, Dale Jr. and his family endured a scare and were fortunate enough to walk away from it. His plane crash-landed in Elizabethton, Tennessee, with Dale Jr., his wife Amy, their daughter, and the family dog on board.
Junior was holding his 16-month-old daughter when the aircraft bounced twice on the runway before skidding and eventually catching fire. Luckily, there were no fatalities, with three passengers sustaining minor injuries. One of the pilots had kicked open the main cabin door far enough for everyone to escape.
Junior was on his way to the NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. After that, the plane was scheduled to continue to Texas with the rest of his family.
“It was a very tough experience to go through. I try not to get into that, think about [it happening to my family] too much. Things happen for a reason. You just try to learn from it and move on,” Dale Jr. said in an interview with Fox Sports, reflecting on the harrowing crash.
“I love my daughter so much and enjoy being around her, and look forward to watching her grow up and experiencing a lot of things with her going forward. That just made you realize that that much more. I’m just thankful and ready to live our lives,” he added.
Biffle and his family’s death in the crash last month would have reminded Junior of his close shave. Early speculation surrounding Biffle’s tragedy suggests that engine failure may have been the cause. But in Dale Jr.’s accident, the cause was different.
According to NTSB reports, the primary issue was that the pilots were unable to abort the landing after the second bounce because the thrust reversers were already engaged. This prevented pilots Jeff Milton and Richard Pope from advancing the throttles to regain altitude and attempt another landing.
A portion of the landing gear collapsed, and part of the right wing struck the runway as the aircraft bounced twice before touching down a third time with only 1,000 feet of paved surface remaining.
The plane then plowed through a chain-link fence before coming to rest at the edge of Tennessee Highway 91. Unable to exit through an emergency hatch above the wing, Dale Jr. and his family escaped the aircraft before it caught fire, according to eye-witness accounts. A former member of the U.S. Air Force, who witnessed the crash, had rushed to Dale Jr.’s aid after seeing him on the ground.
