Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife Amy, 15-month-old daughter Isla, two pilots, and their dog all survived when their Cessna Citation crashed during landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee, back in August 15, 2019.
What started as a routine flight to Bristol Motor Speedway became a frightening fight for survival. Here is everything you should know about what happened that terrifying day for the Earnhardt family.
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A Hard Landing That Could Have Killed Everyone On-Board
The plane bounced during its first touchdown, then on the second touchdown, the right landing gear collapsed and the wing tip hit the runway. After leaving the runway, the aircraft slid 400 feet down a hill, crossed a 25-foot creek bed, went up another hill, smashed through a chain-link fence, and stopped on the edge of a highway.
The rear cabin caught fire with heavy smoke pouring from the bathroom area and flames becoming visible, eventually exploding into a fireball.
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The Entire Crew On-Board Made a Desperate Escape Through an Oven-Sized Opening
Earnhardt tried opening an emergency door with pilot Richard Pope but it wouldn’t work. He also attempted the rear hatch with no success. Pilot Jeff Melton then kicked the main cabin door open wide enough to squeeze through what Earnhardt described as “about the size of a conventional oven”.
Earnhardt handed his daughter to the pilot first, then he and Amy each squeezed through the opening as smoke filled the cabin. Everyone survived with minor injuries, though Earnhardt struggled to walk and complained of back pain.
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