Retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife Amy and baby daughter have survived a small plane crash in east Tennessee on Thursday afternoon, his sister said.
I can confirm Dale, Amy & Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash in Bristol TN this afternoon. Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation. We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding.
— Kelley Earnhardt (@EarnhardtKelley) August 15, 2019
“I can confirm Dale, Amy & Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash in Bristol TN this afternoon. Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation. We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding,” Kelley Earnhardt wrote in a tweet. Amy is Dale’s wife, and Isla is their 1-year-old daughter.
According Fox News reports the plane involved in the crash is registered to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s race team, JR Motorsports, and crashed near Elizabethton Municipal Airport, which is in Carter County, Tennessee. Elizabethton is about 20 minutes from Johnson City, Tenn.
The plane ran off the end of the runway and caught fire, according to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement sent to Fox News The Federal Aviation Administration said, “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.”
The statement went on to say, “The FAA will investigate and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine probable cause of the accident.”
The pilot, co-pilot, Earnhardt, his wife, their daughter and the family dog were on board when the plane crashed, Sheriff Dexter Lunceford said.
Earnhardt Jr. has been transported to the hospital for minor injuries, the public information officer with The Carter County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News. He added everyone on the plane survived the crash. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known.
Earnhardt reportedly was flying to Bristol, Tenn., to announce Saturday night’s NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series Bass Pro Shops/NRA Night Race.
Earnhardt Jr., who retired from racing full-time in 2017, also has been an analyst for NASCAR on NBC.
Source: Fox News