The tragic plane crash in North Carolina continues to raise unresolved questions as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) presses on with its investigation. The incident, which occurred on Thursday morning, claimed the lives of all seven individuals on board, including former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family.

At a news conference held on Saturday morning, the NTSB provided updates on the crash. The ill-fated Cessna C550 took off from Statesville Regional Airport, located approximately 45 miles north of Charlotte. However, it met its catastrophic end at around 10:20 a.m. while attempting an emergency return landing. The plane plummeted to the ground and burst into flames roughly a third of a mile from the runway, according to the FAA.

NTSB board member Michael Graham revealed that a text message, indicating an “emergency landing,” was sent from the aircraft to a family member on the ground. This remains the only known communication from those on board during the flight’s final moments.

As the investigation unfolds, authorities are focused on determining who was piloting the aircraft at the time of the crash. The NTSB continues to piece together the sequence of events that led to this devastating accident.

Investigators are working to verify who was piloting the aircraft.

“At this point, we have a lot of really good information, and we’re fairly confident with at least the left seat occupant, but we need to verify that,” Graham said.

Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder, which could provide important clues about what happened.

The plane’s speed and altitude fluctuated significantly during the brief flight, and its path was consistent with a flight crew that experienced an issue and needed to return quickly, said former NTSB and FAA crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti.

At one point, the plane quickly soared from 1,800 feet up to 4,000 feet before descending again. Just before the crash, it was only a couple of hundred feet off the ground.

“One thing is certain: They were low. They were too low to make a safe landing on that runway,” Guzzetti said.

A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, while the final report, including the cause of the crash and contributing factors, is anticipated in 12 to 24 months.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.