Overview
- The report identifies retired airline captain Dennis Dutton as the pilot, with his son Jack in the right seat despite not being qualified as second-in-command, while Greg Biffle was a rear-seat passenger.
- The CE-500 type rating on the left-seat pilot’s certificate carried a “Second in Command Required” limitation, and he did not hold the single-pilot authorization for that aircraft type.
- Cockpit recordings and recovered data show the pilot reported a faulty altitude indicator and other left-side instrument issues, intermittent Garmin GTN‑750 airspeed and heading data, autopilot disengagement, and periods of degraded audio on the cockpit voice recorder.
- Control briefly shifted to the right-seat occupant at about 4,500 feet before the pilot resumed, and a radio call noted “we are having some issues here” as the crew returned to Statesville for a landing.
- The jet struck approach lights roughly 1,380–1,400 feet short of Runway 28 and burned after impact; investigators found both engines attached, thrust reversers stowed, and no evidence of pre‑impact structural breakup or uncontained engine failure, with the inquiry ongoing and the final report expected in 12–18 months.