Plane owned by former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crashes in NC (copy)

STATESVILLE, N.C. — A business jet owned by former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crashed on Thursday as it attempted to land at Statesville Regional Airport.

“I can confirm there were fatalities,” Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said to the Associated Press, though he declined to say how many.

The Federal Aviation Administration reported that a Cessna C550 crashed at around 10:20 a.m. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, according to The Associated Press. Reports indicate the plane had taken off from the airport and immediately returned to attempt a landing when it crashed and burst into flames.

Golfers playing next to the airport were shocked as they witnessed the disaster, even dropping to the ground at the Lakewood Golf Club while the plane was overhead. The ninth hole was covered with debris.

“We were like, ‘Oh my gosh! That’s way too low,’” said Joshua Green of Mooresville, North Carolina. “It was scary.”

FAA records show that the plane is registered to GB Aviation Leasing in Mooresville.

Flightaware.com showed the plane had planned to fly later from Sarasota, Florida, to Treasure Cay International Airport in the Bahamas before returning to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and then to Statesville by evening, data showed.

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.

As a licensed helicopter pilot, Biffle assisted in relief efforts following Hurricane Helene in 2024 by using his helicopter to deliver supplies to affected areas of western North Carolina.