According to reports, he and his wife are safe and all aboard are safe.
This is a sad news story for Dale Earnhardt Jr. race fans, but it has a happy end. Retired NASCAR driver, along with his family, were aboard a private Cessna plane when it crashed off the runway at Elizabethton Municipal Airport. It was in northeastern Tennessee. Amazingly, everyone was fine. WJHL reported that Earnhardt’s wife Amy, their daughter and another passenger were all aboard the Cessna. The dog from the family was also present. Earnhardt’s sister Kelley Earnhardt tweeted that everyone was safe.
Earnhardt Jr. was reported to have suffered minor scrapes and cuts. Although the condition of other passengers is not known at this point, no injuries have been reported to FAA. According to the report, injuries to the pilot or other passengers are minimal. This is remarkable, considering that the video above posted by WBIR to YouTube shows the aircraft’s rear being consumed in flames. Video footage from the following days shows that the majority of the plane was reduced to a skeleton by the flames.
What happened? This is still under investigation. According to the WJHL report, the Cessna skidded off of the runway. However, it is not clear if this was an accident or if the plane was trying to land. The accident caused enough damage to the fuel tank of the Cessna to burst, leading to significant fuel spillage.
After a long and successful career, which included two wins at the Daytona 500, Earnhardt Jr. retired in 2017. We are grateful that everyone aboard the Cessna survived the destruction.