ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL)- Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board held their first news conference Friday afternoon after Dale Jr. and his family were able to escape a plane crash in Elizabethton.
NTSB investigator Ralph Hicks of Atlanta Georgia said they expect investigators to be on site for 2-3 days documenting evidence.
Hicks said they were able to obtain video surveillance from nearby businesses that showed the crash as it was happening.
The plane, traveling from Statesville, North Carolina, bounced at least twice before “coming down hard” on the right-wing landing gear, according to investigators.
Investigators said the airplane continued down the entire runway and eventually came to a stop on Highway 91.
Hicks said in Friday’s news conference that they were able to speak to both pilots of the plane, describing them as two “professionally trained pilots.”
The plane was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder that will be analyzed by the NTSB as part of their investigation.
In the news conference, Hicks did say that the passengers on board, Dale Jr. and his family, were able to evacuate the plane before it caught fire.
SEE ALSO: FAA releases preliminary report following Dale Earnhardt Jr. plane crash
You can watch the entire news conference below or at THIS LINK.
