New Lawsuits Blame Biffle for Fatal Plane Crash

0:00It's May 1st. I'm Corey with the story, and this is Durham News Today, your AI-powered local news. Two new wrongful death lawsuits just dropped from the estates of pilots Dennis Dutton and his son Jack, targeting the estate of former NASCAR driver. Greg Biffle after that fatal plane crash last December 18th. The crash took out Biffle, his wife Christina, their two young kids, and both pilots, when their Cessna 500 citation 2 went down right after. Take off from Statesville, regional airport in North Carolina. Each suit wants $15 million, blaming Biffle as the plane owner for skimping on proper maintenance. Biffle was a racing legend at 55, stacking over 50 wins across NASCAR's top series, including 19 in the cup level, plus championships, in trucks, back in 2000 in Exfinity in 2002. Folks still remember him for his big heart, flying aid to hard hit areas after Hurricane Helene last year. Early NTSB findings point to a faulty, altimeter messing up readings, with Dennis handing controls

1:04to Jack in the co-pilot seat moments before impact. Neither Jack nor Biffle had the right license endorsement for that jet, and a top aviation expert says the missing experienced co-pilot likely sealed the deal. The full NTSB probe rose on without a final report yet, so expect more layers to peel back on what really went wrong here.