Celebrity News August 16, 2019
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Update: His Condition and What the FAA Is Saying About His Fiery Plane Crash
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New details have emerged about Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s scary plane crash Thursday.
The race car driver, his wife Amy, 1-year-old daughter Isla and two pilots were on the 10-seat Cessna when it crash-landed and caught fire at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee.
TMZ reports the family has been released from the hospital, and NBC Sports confirmed that Dale would be taking the weekend off from his work as a NASCAR analyst.
Dale's sister Kelley Earnhardt released a statement to USA Today, letting fans know, “Dale, Amy, Isla and our two pilots are doing well.”
She also thanked everyone for their support, writing, “We want to reiterate our appreciation to the NASCAR community, first responders, medical staff and race fans everywhere for the overwhelming support in the last 24 hours… We are assisting the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board in the investigation and will have no further comment at this time.”
BREAKING PHOTOS: Plane reportedly carrying Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife crashes in Elizabethton, Tennessee; both are believed to be okay following the crash - WJHL-TV pic.twitter.com/DpB7CSx4hg
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The FAA released a report stating the plane experienced a “hard landing, bounced, departed runway and caught fire.”
Elizabethton fire chief Barry Carrier described the fiery scene to USA Today, saying the aircraft wrapped around a fence at the end of the runway and slid into the grass where it was seen burning.
Carrier told the paper, "The first word to come to my mind is that they were very lucky. It looks like everything worked in their favor instead of against them."
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Wife & Baby Daughter in Plane Crash in Tennessee
View StoryNBC affiliate WCYB posted a photo of the fiery plane, and video of Dale being treated at the scene.
In addition to his job as a NASCAR analyst for NBC, Earnhardt Jr. is also a part-time racer in the Xfinity Series. His next race is scheduled for August 31.