Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s Cessna Citation bounced twice and subsequently came down hard during last week’s crash, before ultimately bursting into flames. The aircraft reportedly finally landed hard on the right main gear, then slid off the runway after going through a fence and came to a stop on a highway.
Earnhardt, his wife and baby daughter were onboard and all were able to evacuate safely. Earnhardt was briefly hospitalized and was reportedly the only one aboard who was. No vehicles on the highway were involved and no one on the ground was hurt.
The aircraft was destroyed by the fire which firefighters at the site attributed to the fuel onboard. The aircraft was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder which has been secured and sent to the NTSB for evaluation.