The pilot who officials reportedly said was flying a plane before it crashed in North Carolina and killed the 67-year-old man, a NASCAR legend and five other people in late 2025, died as a result of an accident, autopsy results obtained by USA TODAY show.
Dennis Rollin Dutton died after the Cessna C550 jet crashed in Statesville on Dec. 18, and killed former race car driver Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina Biffle, their 5-year-old son Ryder and Greg Biffle's daughter Emma, 14.
In addition to Dutton, his son Jack and employee and friend Craig Wadsworth also died in the late morning crash near the Statesville Regional Airport, located about 45 miles north of Charlotte.
According to a report from North Carolina's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner released on April 8, Dutton's cause of death was from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.
The autopsy lists Dutton's last known address in Davidson, a town in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
