Even months after the tragic crash that claimed the lives of seven people, including Greg Biffle and his family, there seem to be new developments coming up every few weeks. This time, however, the update seems a bit dire as Biffle’s ex-wife has filed a lawsuit against his estate, blaming him for the crash.

Nicole Lunders and Greg Biffle were married between 2007 and 2016. They had a daughter together, Emma Elizabeth, who also perished in the plane crash. Months after the incident, however, Lunders has now filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Biffle’s estate, pilot Dennis Dutton’s estate, and GB Aviation Leasing, alleging negligence.

The Cessna Citation II that crashed at Statesville Regional Airport on 18 December, 2025 was registered under Biffle, and in the lawsuit, Lunders claims that the maintenance of the aircraft was Biffle’s responsibility. Along with this, the court filing contained quite a few interesting allegations.

• Start of “negligent conduct” before the plane began taxiing: One of the main allegations is that the flight was not being operated under the instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The filings claim that although the flight plan was present, it was never activated.
• Pilot negligence: The court filings mention that Dennis Dutton could not achieve a successful start of the left engine, showcasing trouble with the aircraft even before it began taxiing. The filing claimed that the left engine only started after power was cross-fed from the right engine.
• Moreover, there was also an allegation of “illegal aviation practice” from Dutton, accusing him of “scud running.” This is a practice in which the pilots sometimes lower their altitudes to avoid clouds. However, it can prove to be dangerous because the aircraft can come in contact with unseen obstructions.
• It is also claimed that Greg Biffle noted some discrepancy between the left and right interstage turbine temperature indications, indicating that there was a difference in the power being supplied to both engines, and they were not behaving identically (which they should have been).
• Another one of the serious allegations mentioned that the pilot-in-command, Dennis Dutton, did not take advantage of the instrument landing system while approaching the runway to land. This could have helped with precise landing.

While it sounds quite serious, these are just allegations at the moment. It was, however, found in the National Transportation and Safety Board’s preliminary report in January of 2026 that there were several mechanical and instrument issues with the Citation II aircraft.

Because of the fact that it was registered to Greg Biffle, he was responsible for its proper maintenance. The aircraft had started showcasing some dire issues shortly after takeoff and was returning to Statesville Regional to attempt a landing. However, it missed the airstrip, made contact with some trees, and erupted into a huge ball of fire after hitting the ground.

Initially, it was thought that Biffle had assisted in the aircraft’s landing after it ran into trouble. However, this was rather odd, considering he wasn’t licensed to fly a jet of that capacity yet. While Dennis Dutton’s son, Jack, was also a recently licensed private pilot, it is understood that his license didn’t allow him to fly the plane, either.

But interestingly, the allegations claim that Jack Dutton had in fact “occupied the right front seat of the aircraft, where he acted as second-in-command.” All while Biffle was seated immediately behind the cockpit.

What was more interesting to note, however, was that aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti claimed that the plane could have landed back on the runway if there were two experienced pilots instead of just one: “This airplane requires two trained pilots, and if things go wrong and you don’t have a trained pilot, then bad things can happen. The airplane might have been able to be landed safely if there were two qualified pilots up front.”

However, out of the seven people on board that day, it was only Dennis Dutton who was licensed and experienced enough to fly the Citation II. It is currently tough to say which direction this lawsuit could go in. While Biffle’s crash was tragic, there has been quite some unrest following it, with even his private property getting broken into.

Suspected conspiracy emerges in Biffle’s home invasion

Back in January, shortly after the crash, Greg Biffle’s private residence was broken into. The thieves stole $30,000 in cash, some NASCAR memorabilia, and two Glock pistols. No immediate arrests were made following this, but more recently, a conspiracy seemed to be unfolding.

It was claimed that this house robbery was a planned inside job by people from Biffle’s inner circle. As per reports, “multiple conspirators” were involved in this, who had knowledge of Biffle’s accounts and stole “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

“This fraud appears to have been a strategic and coordinated strike against all accounts through multiple states, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars being stolen,” an Iredell County sheriff’s detective’s search warrant claimed.

It is currently not known or publicized who the conspirators in this were, but it certainly aroused suspicion. Following this, within a month, Nicole Lunders has now filed the lawsuit against Biffle’s and the pilot’s estate.

While Greg Biffle was a celebrated and loved NASCAR driver, there seems to be quite some unrest following his tragic passing that day. It would certainly be of interest to see how this lawsuit proceeds.