The legal battle stemming from the plane crash that killed former NASCAR star Greg Biffle and six others has taken another significant turn.
Biffle’s estate has filed a motion seeking to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the estate of Dennis and Jack Dutton, according to FOX Sports NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass. In its response, the Biffle estate alleges that the Duttons were negligent in how they operated the aircraft.
The filing marks the latest development in competing claims over who bears responsibility for the Dec. 18, 2025, crash at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.
Importantly, the allegations made by Biffle’s estate have not been established as fact, and the National Transportation Safety Board has not issued a final determination on the cause of the crash. Its investigation remains ongoing.
Greg Biffle Estate Moves to Dismiss Lawsuit
Dennis Dutton and his son, Jack Dutton, were among the seven people killed when the Cessna Citation 550 crashed while attempting to return to Statesville Regional Airport shortly after takeoff.
The estates of Dennis and Jack Dutton previously brought wrongful death claims against Biffle’s estate. The two lawsuits sought $15 million apiece and alleged that Biffle bore responsibility for the aircraft’s maintenance, operation and safety. Those allegations likewise remain claims made in civil litigation, not established findings about what caused the crash.
Now, Biffle’s estate is pushing back.
“In other legal news, in an expected move/response in the Biffle plane crash litigation, the Greg Biffle estate filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the pilots (the Duttons) estate,” Pockrass reported Monday. “The Biffle estate claims the Duttons were negligent in how they operated the aircraft.”
The filing effectively puts competing allegations at the center of the litigation. The Dutton estates have alleged wrongdoing on Biffle’s side involving the aircraft, while Biffle’s estate is now alleging negligence by the Duttons in its effort to have their lawsuit dismissed.
Neither side’s allegations should be confused with a conclusion from federal investigators about what caused the crash.
Investigation Into Fatal Plane Crash Remains Ongoing
Biffle, 55, was killed alongside his wife, Cristina; his children, Emma and Ryder; Dennis Dutton; Jack Dutton; and Craig Wadsworth.
The aircraft took off from Statesville Regional Airport before encountering problems and attempting to return to the airport.
The NTSB’s preliminary investigation provided important details about what happened aboard the aircraft but did not determine probable cause.
According to the preliminary findings, Dennis Dutton was flying the aircraft with Jack seated in the co-pilot position and Biffle seated behind them. The report documented discussion of mechanical and electrical issues before and during the flight. It also indicated that Jack shared some control duties with his father.
Dennis Dutton’s type rating required a qualified second-in-command, while neither Jack Dutton nor Biffle was qualified to serve in that role on the aircraft, according to the preliminary investigation.
Those details have become relevant to the civil litigation, but a preliminary NTSB report is exactly that: preliminary. It does not assign civil liability or establish the crash’s probable cause.
The legal picture has also grown increasingly complicated in the months since the tragedy.
Nicole Biffle, Greg Biffle’s ex-wife and Emma’s mother, filed a separate wrongful death lawsuit in May naming Greg Biffle’s estate, Dennis Dutton’s estate and GB Aviation Leasing LLC. That lawsuit alleged negligence by both Greg Biffle and Dutton.
The latest motion from Biffle’s estate adds another chapter to that litigation, but it does not settle the central question surrounding the tragedy.
For now, multiple parties are making competing allegations in court while the federal investigation into exactly what caused the crash continues.
Greg Biffle Estate Makes Major Move in Lawsuit Over Fatal Plane Crash