Video Captures Deadly NC Plane Crash that Killed NASCAR Driver, Six Others
Hickory Daily Record, N.C.
(TNS)
A Statesville man said he heard the engine of a business jet that crashed at the Statesville Regional Airport on Thursday running full throttle as the plane abruptly turned around after takeoff.
“It sounded like, you know, those war movies that have the dive bombers,” Jeff Coley said. “That's what it sounded like, screaming, and it was turning around and going back towards the airport.”
Emergency responders and law enforcement at the scene of a fatal plane crash at the Statesville Regional Airport.
Coley said he was standing outside of his house with his son when they heard the Cessna C550 fly over.
“I said, ‘That's not right, that thing's going to crash,’” Coley said.
Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said seven people were aboard the plane. No one survived the crash.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Cessna crashed while landing at the Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 a.m. on Thursday. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, according to FAA.
“I don’t know what he (the pilot) was trying to do, whether there was something wrong with the airplane or what, because (the plane) was screaming when he came around my house,” Coley said.
The airplane was registered to the company GB Aviation Leasing, N.C. State Highway Patrol said. Former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle is listed as a manager for GB Aviation Leasing in state reports.
“Although the post-crash fire prevents us from releasing a definitive list of the occupants at this time, it is believed that Mr. Gregory Biffle and members of his immediate family were occupants of the airplane,” the N.C. State Highway Patrol said. “We will be able to provide a compiled list on the (seven) occupants once confirmation has been made by the medical examiner’s office.”
The Federal Aviation Administration was on scene Thursday and the National Transportation Safety Board was expected to arrive at the Statesville Regional Airport on Friday. The N.C. State Highway Patrol will keep the scene secure through the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation, the N.C. State Highway Patrol said.
" NASCAR is devastated by the tragic loss of Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, son Ryder, Craig Wadsworth and Dennis and Jack Dutton in a fatal plane crash," NASCAR Communications posted on X.com at 4:46 p.m.
NASCAR statement
The Statesville Regional Airport will be closed until further notice.
Flightaware.com showed the plane was scheduled to fly to Treasure Cay International Airport in the Bahamas. At 4:10 p.m. the plane was supposed to depart Treasure Cay International Airport and arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, around 4:45 p.m. The plan was expected to then depart from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 6:10 p.m. and land at Statesville Regional Airport at 8:22 p.m. on Thursday.
North Carolina Plane Crash (copy)
First responders tend to the scene of a reported plane crash at a regional airport in Statesville on Thursday.
FlightAware shows the plane taking off at 10:06 a.m., a little more than an hour after it was initially scheduled, then crash at 10:32 a.m. The max speed recorded by FlightAware was 316 and the highest altitude was 32,000 feet. The flight was planned to travel 587 miles but only traveled a total of 29 miles.
Multiple celebrities and government officials posted condolences on social media throughout Thursday, including U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson.
Hudson said Biffle and his family flew hundreds of rescue missions in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
“Our prayers are with their family, friends, and everyone grieving this unimaginable loss,” Hudson said.
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Unmarked police cars block an entrance to the Statesville Regional Airport following a fatal plane crash on Thursday.
Biffle is considered semi-retired, having left full-time Cup racing in 2016. Before Biffle became a full-time Cup Series racer, he won the 2000 NASCAR Truck Series championship and the 2022 Busch Series title. He raced full-time in the Cup Series from 2003 through 2016 for team owner Jack Roush. He won 19 races and had six top-10 championship finishes, including a runner-up finish in 2005.
Social media influencer Garrett Mitchell, better known online as Cleetus McFarland, said Biffle and his family were on their way to meet him when the plane crashed.
“We are devastated,” Mitchell said. “I’m so sorry to share this.”
Mitchell also posted one of his favorite videos of him and Biffle driving side-by-side in a desert.
“This will be one of my favorite videos of all time. A wheelie side by side with the Biff,” Mitchell said. “This is the worst day ever.”
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