Fatalities were reported Thursday after a plane owned by former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crashed while landing at the Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina.
The Federal Aviation Administration said a Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 a.m. Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating.
Local outlets in the Charlotte region reported that a Cessna C550 (Citation) business jet went down during a landing attempt, erupting into a large fire on or near the runway.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene as flames burned amid scattered wreckage.
"I can confirm there were fatalities," Iredell County Sheriff Grant Campbell said, though he declined to say how many. He also did not identify anyone who was aboard.
Video from WSOC-TV showed first responders rushing onto the runway as flames burned near scattered wreckage from the plane.
The plane’s tail number, N257BW, is registered to GB Aviation Leasing with a Mooresville, North Carolina address that matches Biffle’s listed address in public records, according to regional reporting cited in broader coverage, The Charlotte Observer noted.
Flight-tracking information referenced in local coverage indicated the jet was scheduled to head to Sarasota, Florida, and one outlet reported the aircraft appeared to turn around shortly after departure and attempt to land back at Statesville before crashing.
The FAA said it is investigating alongside the National Transportation Safety Board, with federal officials expected to lead the technical review of what went wrong in the final moments of the flight.
Statesville Regional Airport is a city-owned facility that markets itself as a corporate-aviation hub used by major companies and motorsports teams—one reason the incident quickly drew national attention beyond North Carolina.
Authorities said additional information would be released as investigators verify the number of people aboard and notify next of kin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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