By Jerry Jordan, Editor
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. – An eyewitness to the fiery plane crash involving retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife Amy, their child Isla and the family pet, says she and coworkers “heard a loud thud” and then saw the flames coming from the plane as it came to rest on the edge of Highway 91.
“We heard a loud thud and we all ran to the windows and the plane was sliding down the road, it was already in flames, smoke billowing and it slid to a stop right there,” said Sissy Moody, an employee at the Alliance Business and Training Career Center across the street from the Elizabethton Municipal Airport, as she pointed to the wreckage. “As soon as it stopped the dog comes out and then I guess it was Dale with the baby and his wife and then the two pilots right behind them. But Dale went on the ground maybe 30- to 40-foot from the plane when he came off. But everything, this tunnel was in a blaze, the plane was in a blaze.
“It was already on fire but when it stopped it went into a huge blaze. I was already running across the grounds. I said there are people in there. I was amazed they came out.”
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Moody’s sentiments were shared by Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford and Elizabethton Fire Department Chief Barry Carrier, who both said everyone was lucky to get out alive as fencing from the airport had wrapped around the fuselage and nearly trapped everyone inside.
“One thing that strikes me as I look closer, is the fact that when it came through the fence, the fence wrapped around the airplane. And there is a section there that the fence is wrapped around the airplane and if that would have been where the door was, it would have been a lot more difficult for them to get the door open,” Carrier said. “So, it looks like everything worked in their favor instead of against them.”
Lunceford added that when he arrived the Cessna Citation (Tail Number N8JR) had “burst into flames and it was burning when we arrived.” The plane is listed on the Federal Aviation database as having 10 seats and two Pratt & Whitney PW306-D turbo-fan engines with 5,907-pounds of thrust each. Its weight is listed at 20,000 pounds and it can fly up to 2,700 miles. The cost for the plane is estimated at $17 million, according to multiple aviation brokerage sites. The plane is registered to JRM Air LLC and appears to have been purchased in 2015, when they were first released by Cessna.
Moody said as soon as the Earnhardts and the pilots exited the plane they began running down the road and when Dale Jr. went to the ground that Amy grabbed Isla. She said paramedics quickly arrived at the scene and began working on Dale Jr. He was taken to the hospital in Johnson City, Tenn. but was released after being checked out. A short time later, he was seen at Bristol Motor Speedway entering his motorhome.
On Thursday, NBC Sports sent out a press release stating they encouraged Dale Jr., who was originally scheduled for the NASCAR broadcast on Friday and Saturday nighst, to take the weekend off. Earnhardt is expected to return to the booth at the next Cup series race weekend at Darlington.
“We’re incredibly grateful that Dale, his wife Amy, daughter Isla, and the two pilots are safe following today’s accident,” the release states. “After being discharged from the hospital, we communicated with Dale and his team, and we’re all in agreement that he should take this weekend off to be with his family. We look forward to having him back in the booth next month at Darlington.”
Lunceford said they believe there were roughly 1,000 gallons of fuel on the plane at the time of the crash. He said the fire department contained the fuel using absorbent barriers and allowed it to burn off.
“There were flames shooting up from that tunnel right there,” the witness said. “There was something burning over there (pointing to the other side of the highway), you could see the smoke coming off the ground, it was wild.”
Lunceford said, “The fuel had leaked down and ran down (Highway) 91 towards us and into a small creek that runs under the highway. And that is what you see still smoldering right now, the fuel that is on top of that small creek. Fire department personnel has put a barrier into the stream so there is no danger of it getting into the pond of the lake behind us and they just have to let it burn out.”
A media release from the FAA about the crash stated, “A Cessna Citation rolled off the end of Runway 24 and caught fire after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee at 3:40 p.m. today. Preliminary indication is that two pilots and three passengers were aboard. Local officials will release their names and conditions. The aircraft registration is N8JR, look up the owner at FAA.gov. The FAA will investigate and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine probable cause of the accident.”
According to the FAA, the plane was last inspected for airworthiness on Oct. 1, 2015. The FAA certificate was issued on Nov. 20, 2015, and the plane was not due for another inspection until Nov. 30, 2021. The most recent activity date listed by the FAA was on June 24, 2018.
The inspection process for airworthiness is complicated and involves multiple steps, per the FAA website.
“The FAA’s aircraft certification processes are well established and have consistently assured safe aircraft designs. As part of any certification project, we conduct the following: A review of any proposed designs and the methods that will be used to show that these designs and the overall airplane complies with FAA regulations; Ground tests and flight tests to demonstrate that the airplane operates safely; An evaluation of the airplane’s required maintenance and operational suitability for introduction of the airplane into service; and Collaboration with other civil aviation authorities on their approval of the aircraft for import.”
According to Lunceford, local authorities are securing the scene until the FAA and the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) can arrive and take over. It is the job of the NTSB to determine the “probable cause” of transportation accidents. A review of their incident database did not yet show the crash.
Thoughts and prayers continue for the Earnhardt family during this time.
Thank God they ok and resting at home. Prayers for the two pilots also.