On Aug. 15, 2019, semi-retired NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family were involved in a crash when their airplane was landing at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee. According to new details that were released by the National Transportation Safety Board, Earnhardt and a pilot had difficulty opening the emergency exit of the Cessna Citation Latitude while the plane began to catch fire and fill with smoke.
Earnhardt, his wife Amy, their 15-month old daughter Isla, two pilots, and Earnhardt's dog were able to escape. In addition, the report revealed that three passengers on the aircraft suffered minor injuries.
NTSB investigators also found that part of the plane's landing gear collapsed and a portion of the right wing hit the runway. The aircraft ended up bouncing twice before touchdown down with an estimated 1,000 feet of runway space remaining.
There wasn't enough time for the plane to completely stop and it ended up bursting through a fence before finally coming to a halt on the edge of Tennessee Highway 91.
"As they were attempting to get the rear exit door open, heavy smoke was coming from the lavatory," the report stated. "Mr. Earnhardt reported that he told Mr. Melton to try the main cabin door. At this time fire was now visible in the lavatory."
Melton eventually was able to kick open the main cabin door, but only a portion of the way. The opening was "roughly the size of a conventional oven," but was able to fit everyone through.
A final NTSB report hasn't been released at the present time.
Earnhardt retired from full-time racing in 2017, but has raced since the plane crash. The two-time Daytona 500 winner currently serves as a NASCAR analyst for NBC Sports.
