Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife and daughter escaped a fiery plane crash last summer thanks to heroic efforts from one of the pilots and the retired NASCAR driver, new documents reportedly show.

According to the Associated Press , one of the two pilots of the Cessna Citation, kicked open one of the plane's cabin doors with the help of Dale so that the group could escape the flames of the crash.

"As they were attempting to get the rear exit door open, heavy smoke was coming from the lavatory," the NTSB's report said, per the AP.

The new documents released this week said that the pilots, Richard Pope and Jeffrey Melton, attempted to increase the plane's power, but it never came.

"Power was pulled to idle, and the thrust reversers were again applied as the airplane touched down for the third time," the NTSB's report said, according to the AP.

Dale's sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, tweeted shortly after the crash last August that everyone was safe, but had been taken to the hospital for evaluation.