Hendrick plane tragedy

A spokesman for a funeral home where the bodies were being taken told the Associated Press that the state police had given him the following list of those on the Beech 200:

Ricky Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's son and and owner of two NASCAR teams; John Hendrick, Rick Hendrick's brother and president of the organisation; Kimberly and Jennifer Hendrick, John Hendrick's twin daughters; Joe Jackson, a DuPont official; Jeff Turner, Hendrick Motorsports general manager; Randy Dorton, the team's chief engine builder; Scott Latham, a pilot for NASCAR driver Tony Stewart; and pilots Dick Tracy and Liz Morrison.

A spokesman for the NTSB said investigators were on their way to the crash site but could not begin their examination until Monday. A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administation, Arlene Murray, said the plane took off from Concord, North Carolina, and crashed in the Bull Mountain area about seven miles west of the Martinsville airport at about 12.30pm.

Hendrick Motorsport marked its 20th anniversary in NASCAR's Nextel Cup this year. The organisation, which employs more than 400 people, runs cars for Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Terry Labonte and Brian Vickers in the Nextel Cup as well as a car for Kyle Busch in the Busch Series. It has won five Cup titles, three truck series titles, and one Busch series crown.

According to NASCAR's website, local police had barred entrance to the Hendrick workshop in Charlotte this morning, allowing only team employees to enter the compound. A small bouquet of flowers had been placed at the entrance gate.