A private jet owned by former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle has crashed in North Carolina. While the story is still developing, fatalities have been confirmed by local authorities.
Plane Crashes at Statesville Regional Airport
The aircraft involved in the incident, a Cessna 550 with the registration N257BW, crashed shortly after takeoff from Statesville Regional Airport (SVH) in North Carolina around 10:15a local time. Flight tracking shows that the aircraft climbed to a height of 1,900 feet before the accident.
The aircraft is owned by private company that is affiliated with former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. It is not known how many passengers and crew were aboard the aircraft at the time of the accident.
Garrett Mitchell, better known by his social media personality Cleetus McFarland, confirmed on social media that Biffle, his wife Cristina, and son Ryder were on board the aircraft. The Biffles were on their way to Florida to spend the afternoon with the Mitchells. He was unable to confirm whether Biffle’s daughter was on board the aircraft.
Video from the accident site shows an aircraft engulfed in flames after the crash.
Biffle, the aircraft’s owner, was an avid aviation enthusiast and owned multiple airplanes and helicopters. Biffle won 19 races in NASCAR’s highest series during his career along with the 2000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and 2002 NASCAR Busch Series Championships.
During the Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee, he used his private aircraft to deliver aid to victims trapped by flooding in the area. He won the National Motorsports Press Association’s Myers Brothers Award for his work in the relief efforts.
This is a developing story.
Summary
A plane belonging to former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle has crashed at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina. Local authorities have confirmed fatalities but the number, and number of passengers aboard the plane has not been confirmed.
