"Retired Nascar driver Greg Biffle was not flying his own jet when it crashed last month, killing him and six others, according to a Friday report from federal safety officials who also concluded that while an experienced pilot was at the controls, no one else on board was qualified to be the required copilot. The preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board said that Biffle and the retired airline"
"The nature of the problems with the plane isn't clear at this stage in the investigation, partly because the cockpit voice recorder cut out at times and NTSB experts have only just begun to dig into what caused the crash. Over the radio, Jack Dutton announced, we're having some problems here and the cockpit recorder captured part of the conversation between the three pilots about the issues with the plane."
Federal safety officials determined that retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle was not piloting the Cessna C550 when it crashed, killing him and six others. An experienced retired airline pilot, Dennis Dutton, was at the controls while Biffle and Jack Dutton occupied other seats. Neither Biffle nor Jack Dutton held the required copilot endorsement for that aircraft. Crewmembers noticed gauge malfunctions and a thrust reverser indicator light issue before takeoff; after liftoff the pilot's altimeter and other instruments failed. The cockpit voice recorder cut out intermittently, and investigators have begun probing the cause. The plane crashed near Statesville Regional Airport and erupted into a large fire.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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