As the investigation continues into the December 19, 2025, crash of a Cessna Citation 550 that claimed the lives of former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his wife Christina, their son Ryder, Biffle’s daughter Emma, motor coach driver and assistant Craig Wadsworth, pilot Dennis Dutton, and Dutton’s son Jack Dutton, aviation analyst Captain Steve shared a detailed breakdown of newly surfaced cockpit audio on his YouTube channel on Dec. 26, 2025.
Captain Steve, who listened to the audio clips “almost all night” and “a hundred times,” described the recordings as coming from the Unicom frequency at the uncontrolled Statesville Regional Airport. He noted there was no formal “Mayday” distress call, which aligns with the NTSB’s preliminary statement, but the crew made repeated traffic advisories to alert others.
According to Captain Steve’s analysis of Unicom frequency audio (not yet officially released by NTSB), the first clip includes a speaker—whom Captain Steve believes sounds like a younger voice, possibly the co-pilot—saying:
“Statesville traffic, Cessna 257 Bravo Whiskey. We’ve got an issue with some of our things for runway 10… We’ve got some issues here. We’re going to try to circle back around and land.”
The second clip includes:
“Right now, we’re getting our gear down.”
The final transmission:
“Bravo on final for runway 28.”
Captain Steve emphasized the crew’s focus on safety for others:
“Um, it’s a shame because seven lives were lost in this. And you know, again, Monday morning quarterbacking is easy to do from here. You got to put yourself in that cockpit at that point. The pilot is doing everything he can to control that aircraft and get it back to a safe landing. But it’s a panic at some point, especially when you’re fighting the weather. You’re fighting, let’s say, the engine is bad. You’re fighting a tremendous vibration in the airframe from an engine that’s bad. A turbine engine will really come apart dramatically and it’ll make a lot of noise and cause a lot of vibration. You’re in and out of the bad weather. Um you’re single piloted. You’re trying to communicate some stuff to your co-pilot. But if your co-pilot is your son who’s a student pilot, he’s doing as much as he can… you’re listening to the voice and it’s very hard to hear that young man’s voice communicating in a clear way what’s going on basically out of concern for anybody else that might be coming into that airport. Hey folks, clear out. We’re coming back with an emergency. He’s concerned about others at the point where he and his dad are trying to save this aircraft with everybody on board. Wow. Um, tremendous, really wonderful people. It’s a shame um that they didn’t make it back to the runway.”
Captain Steve analyzed the ADS-B data showing a tight teardrop turn back to runway 28 after initially attempting runway 10. He questioned whether the approach was stable, noting the aircraft hit an approach light, indicating it was low and slow. He speculated on multiple issues—possibly engine failure combined with configuration drag from gear and flaps—and questioned why the crew didn’t climb straight ahead to gain altitude.
The NTSB continues its investigation into the cause, with the preliminary report expected to provide more clarity.
Captain Steve is a veteran pilot and creator of the YouTube channel “Captain Steve’s Aviation,” where he provides detailed breakdowns of aviation incidents, crashes, and safety topics based on his professional experience in the cockpit.