U.S. safety agencies investigate plane crash involving racecar driver Dale Earnhardt Jr

[August 16, 2019]  (Reuters) - Two U.S. safety agencies are investigating the crash of a small plane in Tennessee on Thursday that was carrying retired racecar driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife and daughter, officials said.

Earnhardt's sister Kelley said on Twitter the two pilots of the Cessna Citation and three family members were safe and being taken to a hospital for observation. There were no serious injuries, according to officials in Tennessee cited by media.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane rolled off the end of a runway at Elizabethton Municipal Airport at 3:40 p.m. (2040 GMT) and caught fire. The National Transportation Safety Board was also investigating.

WJHL-TV reported that Earnhardt was taken to the Johnson City Medical Center with minor injuries including cuts and abrasions. Footage showed a fire and severe damage to the airplane. A nearby highway and the airport were closed after the crash.

A police officer photographs the wreckage of a plane crash involving NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family, who survived the incident, in Elizabethton, Tennessee, U.S. August 15, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller

Earnhardt, who was NASCAR’s long-time biggest star, gave up full time racing after the 2017 season. He now broadcasts NASCAR races for NBC Sports.

(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; editing by Grant McCool)

[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.