On August 15, 2019, Earnhardt, his wife Amy, daughter Isla Rose, and dog Gus were aboard a Cessna Citation Latitude private jet when it crashed and caught fire at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tennessee.
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There were no serious injuries among the passengers. According to NTSB investigators, the plane bounced twice before touching down a third time with about 1,000 feet (300 metres) of the paved surface remaining.
Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel
The plane crashed through a chain-link fence before landing on the side of Tennessee Highway 91.
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According to witness statements, Earnhardt and his family managed to escape through the main cabin door after being unable to exit through an emergency exit door above the wing.
Dale Earnhardt Jr announced on Twitter about a week after the accident that he still planned to compete in the Xfinity Series one-off race at Darlington the following week, even though his lower back had received significant bruises and swelling.
Dale Earnhardt Jr retired from full-time racing following the 2017 season and is now working as a NASCAR analyst for NBC Sports.
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