Some new information has come to light regarding the fatal plane crash that killed NASCAR champion Greg Biffle. According to investigators, he was not piloting the plane when it went down.
Videos by Wide Open Country
"The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board also concluded that while an experienced pilot was at the controls, the person sitting in the right seat wasn't qualified to be the copilot," the Associated Press has reported.
Furthermore, in a shocking turn of events, it has emerged that Dennis Dutton's son, Jack, was co-piloting the plane. He was not qualified to do so.
"Biffle and the retired airline pilot at the controls, Dennis Dutton, and his son Jack, who were all licensed pilots, noticed problems with gauges malfunctioning on the Cessna C550 before it crashed while trying to return to the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina."
Greg, Jack, and retired pilot Dennis Dutton were not qualified to serve as co-pilots. The interesting part is that all three were licensed pilots. Therefore, there must be some additional training required to be a co-pilot.
Expert Pinpoints Lack of Qualified Co-Pilot as Potential Cause of Greg Biffle's Crash
According to aviation expert Jeff Guzzetti, the lack of a qualified co-pilot could have been a significant factor in the fatal crash.
"This airplane requires two trained pilots, and if things go wrong and you don't have a trained pilot, then bad things can happen," Guzzetti said. "The airplane might have been able to be landed safely if there were two qualified pilots up front."
Biffle was joined by his wife, Cristina, his son Ryder ad his daughter Emma on the tragic flight. The family of four was among the seven pronounced dead following the accident.
However, the CEO of Safety Operating Systems believes that the flight's instrument issues were likely the larger factor that could have led to the crash.
"In the clouds with failing flight instruments is a serious situation," Cox told the Associated Press.
Between the unqualified co-pilot, which is a violation of FAA rules, and the faulty instruments, it looks like there's plenty of scope when searching for what went wrong during the plane's ill-fated flight.
