NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife and 1-year-old daughter were transported to a hospital following a private plane crash at a Tennessee airport Thursday.
The Carter County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to NBC affiliate WCYB that the couple were on a plane that crashed at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said that a Cessna Citation rolled off the end of a runway and caught fire after landing at around 3:40 p.m. local time.
Kelley Earnhardt confirmed on Twitter Thursday that her brother, his wife and their 1-year-old daughter, Isla, were on board the crashed plane.
“Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding.”
No injuries from the two pilots were reported to the FAA and Elizabethton Fire Chief Barry Carrier told WCYB that everyone survived the accident.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Earnhardt Jr. announced in 2017 he’d step away from full-time racing. The third-generation driver followed in the footsteps of his father Dale Earnhardt Sr., a seven-time Cup champion, and his grandfather, Ralph Earnhardt, the 1956 NASCAR Sportsman champion. He is currently an analyst for NBC Sports.
Dale Earnhardt Sr. died in a crash during his final lap at the Daytona 500 in 2001. His son won the Daytona title at the same speedway where his father crashed just three years later and six years after his father won the cup in 1998.
Video from WCYB showed Earnhardt receiving treatment at the scene.
