New Records Add Details to Deadly Statesville Plane Crash

Newly released autopsy reports for retired NASCAR driver Gregory Biffle and racing industry veteran Craig Wadsworth provide new details about how the two men died in the Dec. 18, 2025, plane crash at Statesville Regional Airport.

The reports, obtained through a public records request from the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, confirm both men died from smoke inhalation and extensive burns caused by the post-crash fire. Their deaths were ruled accidental.

According to Biffle’s autopsy, soot was found throughout his airways, and carbon monoxide levels in his blood were elevated — findings that indicate he was breathing during the fire after the crash. He was not the pilot, but a passenger, the report said.

Wadsworth’s autopsy reached similar conclusions, citing inhalation injuries and thermal trauma as the cause of death.

The newly released records include detailed descriptions of the fire’s impact, underscoring the intensity of the post-crash blaze that investigators say consumed much of the aircraft and complicated victim identification.

The crash killed seven people, including Biffle’s wife and children, along with pilot Dennis Dutton and his son. Earlier reports identified Dutton as the pilot at the time of the crash.

A pubic records request is pending for the remaining report for Biffle's wife, Cristina Grossu Biffle. The minor children's reports will not be released under state law.

A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates the aircraft attempted to return to the airport shortly after takeoff before striking runway lighting, trees and a fence, then erupting in flames.

The NTSB has not determined a cause. A final report is expected within 12 to 18 months.

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