The lawsuit seeking $15 million from Greg Biffle‘s estate is actually one of two filed in what promises to be a long, arduous legal battle.
- Greg Biffle’s plane crashed on Dec. 18, 2025, in Statesville, N.C.
- The seven people on board were all killed. That includes Biffle, his daughter Emma, his wife Cristina, their son Ryder, Craig Wadsworth, a pilot named Dennis Dutton and his son Jack Dutton.
- A preliminary crash report released in January says pilot error and faulty instruments may have been the cause.
Dennis Dutton was the pilot in command, and his son Jack was co-pilot, while Biffle (a licensed pilot not cleared to fly this type of plane) was a passenger.
The two lawsuits are between the Biffle and Dutton families.
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The estate of Emma Dutton (she’s survived by her mother, Biffle’s ex-wife) has filed a wrongful death lawsuit seeking $10 million from the Dutton estate.
On April 17, the Dutton estate filed a $15 million lawsuit against the Biffles, alleging that as owner of the plane he was responsible for the maintenance, operation and safety.
WBTV shares more specifics about what transpired in the moments before the crash. Among the things pulled from the NTSB preliminary report are:
- Prior to takeoff, a person with a private pilot certificate identified as “the rear passenger” noted the left engine was producing more power than the right.
- Shortly after the pilot noted the altitude indicator wasn’t working properly and his flight instruments may have been malfunctioning.
- One minute after that, control of the airplane was given to the co-pilot, who was not qualified to be in that position.
- The plane hit light stations and trees about a quarter mile before it crashed and caught fire.
A related article about the Biffle home burglary and possible bank fraud notes that Biffle’s estate is being handled by his niece, Jordyn Biffle Carpenter. She is cooperating fully with authorities in that case.
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