The plane was owned by a company affiliated with former NASCAR driver and certified pilot Greg Biffle, according to flight tracking information. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Biffle was involved.
Plane owned by NASCAR racer Greg Biffle crashes after takeoff in North Carolina
The aircraft, a Cessna C550 business jet, reportedly attempted to return to the airport shortly after takeoff.
On Dec. 18, a small plane associated with the former NASCAR driving legend crashed in western North Carolina.
The Cessna C550 crashed around 10:15 a.m. local time while landing at Statesville Regional Airport in Idel County, about 40 miles north of Charlotte, local officials and the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The only C550 in and out of the airport that day was owned by GB Aviation, an affiliate of former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, according to flight tracking information.
It was not immediately clear who or how many people were on board, but at least one death was reported, the North Carolina Highway Patrol confirmed to USA TODAY.
The plane left Statesville at 10:06 a.m. local time and attempted to turn around before crashing, according to FlightAware, which tracks its flight path.
“This is an ongoing event,” Statesville Mayor Ron Smith said at a brief news conference, calling the crash a multi-agency response and adding that the investigation was “evolving.”
Greg Biffle trapped in crashed plane
Authorities have not yet revealed who was on the plane. According to Reuters, the plane was owned by Biffle, a former NASCAR driver.
Biffle debuted in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2002 and spent 14 years as a full-time Cup Series driver from 2003 to 2016, recording 19 wins, 92 top-five finishes and 175 top-10s. His first Cup victory came at NASCAR’s most famous track on July 5, 2003, when he took the checkered flag at Daytona International Speedway.
The FAA directed questions about those on board to local law enforcement. USA TODAY has reached out to the city of Statesville for more information.
Dan DePodwin, AccuWeather’s vice president of forecasting operations, told USA TODAY Thursday afternoon that severe weather was being reported near Statesville Regional Airport at the time of the crash.
“Heavy drizzle and a cloud ceiling near 1,200 feet were reported at 10:15 a.m.,” Depodwin said. “As of 10:30 a.m., the cloud ceiling had reportedly fallen to approximately 400 feet, and heavy rain had reduced visibility to less than 3 miles. Weather conditions are often a critical factor that investigators consider carefully following a plane crash. It could take months to a year or more for investigators to determine whether weather conditions contributed to the crash.”
Statesville Airport closed due to plane crash
Statesville Airport Director John Ferguson also spoke at the news conference and said he was at the airport when the corporate jet crashed off the east end of the runway.
Ferguson said the FAA arrived on the scene just after noon local time, adding that the airport was closed until further notice.
“It will take some time to clear the debris from the runway,” Ferguson said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is forming a team to investigate the accident, the agency shared in a post by X.
Greg Biffle pilots relief flights after Hurricane Helen
Biffle is a certified pilot who flew helicopters to help people in Tennessee and North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helen by flying into hard-to-reach areas with supplies and supplies.
Biffle was asked by a friend to help rescue a family in western North Carolina after Helen, and became deeply involved in the relief effort, mobilizing other members of the NASCAR community and providing supplies. At one point, he flew for nine consecutive days in disaster relief in what became known as Operation Airdrop.
“It started out helping a family stranded in Banner Elk. That was the only thing I knew, but it’s kind of taken on a life of its own,” Biffle told The Tennessean last October.
He received the 2024 National Motorsports Writers Association Myers Brothers Award for his efforts and was recognized at that year’s NASCAR Awards Banquet.
Contributors: Dinah Pulver; Tom Krieger, USA TODAY Network and Reuters
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
