Dale Earnhardt Jr. and wife survive Tennessee plane crash

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Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife Amy and young child and their two dogs survived a small plane crash in Tennessee on Thursday afternoon, authorities said. Earnhardt Jr. was hospitalized following the crash at Elizabethton Municipal Airport, the Carter County Sheriff’s Office said, according to CBS affiliate WJHL-TV.

The Cessna Citation rolled off the end of runway 24 and caught fire after landing at the airport at 3:40 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement. Videos on social media showed a large plume of smoke and the jet on its side.

Kelley Earnhardt, Dale’s sister, confirmed his sibling and sister-in-law were aboard the plane Thursday. “Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation,” she wrote.

A reporter with WJHL-TV tweeted video from the scene and said a “portion of the plane” was still on fire in the water. Firefighters at the airport said they were “burning off” excess fuel that spilled at the airport, but that it doesn’t pose any environmental threat.

The FAA will investigate and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause of the accident.

Earnhardt retired from NASCAR in 2017 and has since been working as an analyst and was slated to join the broadcast team for Saturday’s Cup Series event in Bristol, Tennessee.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife Amy seen Oct. 1, 2017, in Dover, Delaware. Getty

This is a developing story. Please check back for latest updates.