A small plane owned by retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crashed and exploded into flames while attempting to land at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina on Thursday.
There reportedly were multiple fatalities. There was no immediate confirmation that Biffle was among the passengers.
The Statesville Regional Airport said the crash occurred at 10:15 a.m. local time, adding officials from the Federal Aviation Administration were en route to the crash site. The National Transportation Safety Board will be in charge of the investigation.
The plane, a Cessna C550, had just taken off from the airport but the pilot attempted to turn the aircraft around and land it.
Biffle, whose 56th birthday is next week, won 19 Cup Series races over 20 years.
His final race on the circuit was the 2022 Geico 500 at Talladega. He was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.
Biffle also owns a helicopter and used it as part of the rescue effort to help people in Western North Carolina stranded by Hurricane Helene in September 2024.
–Field Level Media
