Greg Biffle‘s untimely death with his family in a plane crash gave rise to many questions. Early reports and audio from the cockpit recorder hinted at multiple errors in the Cessna 550 before it even took off. Now, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has finally released a preliminary report, confirming those findings.

In this report, NTSB noted that Dennis Dutton was the pilot and his son, Jack, was the co-pilot during the flight. Jack did have 175 hours on his pilot’s license, but was not qualified to hold that role. He took control of the flights for a moment, but Dennis returned to take control before landing. However, this wasn’t the only detail that was revealed in the report:

• Previously, the plane’s left engine was the prime suspect for the engine failure. However, the investigation revealed there was no proof of this.
  The flight instruments on the left side and the altitude meter were not working properly, which may have interfered with the flight systems. The left engine did not start as expected at first. But it did work, and later, the plane took off successfully.
• The rear passenger also complained that the left engine was supposedly producing more power than necessary at first. It was later attributed to a faulty gauge.
• As the plane continued to turn left and descend, Jack tried to contact the ZTL ATC and activate the flight’s IFR flight plan thrice between 1008 and 1010. However, they were unsuccessful due to the controller’s workload and associated radio communications.
• There are multiple inconsistencies in the data recorded. The NTSB report states that at one point, the pilots reported a problem, but it was not discussed further.
• Since the CVR wasn’t recording audio properly, the voice quality kept dropping throughout the flight. The NTSB does not have the data about what the problem was exactly and what steps were taken to mitigate it.
• There was also no mention of the flight instruments being faulty during the flight, even though the NTSB report clearly states that they were faulty.
• Examination of the accident site: Investigation after the crash noted the first identified point of impact (FIPI) as the first (easternmost) light station of runway 28. Next impact points were the trees about 235 feet away from the FIPI, which were sheared about 12 ft above the ground level.
  According to the observations, the first indication of a fire was blackened branches and grass near the west side of the trees.
• A post-impact fire consumed a majority of the fuselage. The head damaged both the wings, empennage, and both engines. No pre-impact separation of any airplane component or structure was observed.

It is important to note that this is a preliminary report and is subject to change. However, it answers multiple questions that followed the fatal plane crash. The final report could be expected in 12-18 months.

Seven people lost their lives in the crash. Biffle, his wife Cristina, his two children, pilots Dennis Dutton and his son Jack, and Biffle’s employee Craig Wadsworth. They were en route to racer Cleetus McFarland’s place in Bradenton for an early birthday and holiday celebration. Biffle would’ve turned 56 years old on December 23.

And while one mystery after Greg Biffle’s death seems to have found some answers, others remain.

Police haven’t found Biffle’s burglar yet

On January 8, a burglary was reported at the Biffle’s Mooresville residence. Reportedly, the thief stole $30,000 and NASCAR memorabilia. Since then, there have been multiple calls for action against the people involved. And there was a slight development in the case a week ago.

A person, who was helping clean the house after the death, called 911, informing them about the burglary. CCTV footage caught the face of the person who broke into Biffle’s home. After a user uploaded it on social media, asking for people to help, there were reports that an anonymous person had identified the suspect. Subsequently, the police were also tipped off. There has been no update regarding the case yet.

Meanwhile, the NTSB is looking further into the plane failure to understand what ultimately led to the crash. At the same time, the police are investigating the burglary.