Earnhardt, 44, was flying to this past
weekend's NASCAR race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway when his
private plane experienced a hard landing and rolled off the
runway Thursday at Elizabethton Municipal Airport, catching fire
with five people and the family dog aboard.
He, his wife Amy, the couple's infant daughter and two pilots
all escaped serious injury.
"Amy and I want to thank everyone who has lifted us up with
phone calls, messages and prayer since last Thursday," Earnhardt
Jr. wrote. "We are truly blessed that all on board escaped with
no serious injuries, including our daughter, our two pilots and
our dog Gus. With respect to the investigation, we will not be
speculating or discussing the cause of the accident. I am
thankful for the quick response of my pilots, local law
enforcement, emergency personnel and hospital staff.
"Lastly, Amy and I continue to be very appreciative of the
privacy extended to us to process everything. It has been
important to do that together and on our own time."
The plane, a Cessna 680A Citation Latitude, was quickly engulfed
in flames after exiting the runway and skidding through a
chain-link fence, but Earnhardt walked out of the plane, along
with his wife, with his 1-year-old daughter in his arms.
--Field Level Media
[© 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 This material may not be published,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.
![](column_spacer.png) |
|