Statesville, North Carolina – Federal investigators on Friday will begin examining the wreckage of a business jet that crashed in North Carolina and killed all seven people on board, including retired Nascar driver Greg Biffle and his family.
A major fire broke out in the Cessna C550 plane when it hit the ground on Thursday. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the plane left Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Charlotte, but quickly crashed while trying to return and land.
Flight records show the plane was registered to a company operated by Biffle. The cause of the crash was not immediately known, nor was it known why the plane returned to the airport in rainy and cloudy weather.
FAA records show Biffle was rated to fly helicopters, single-engine and multi-engine aircraft. It was not clear whether Biffle was flying the plane at the time of the crash.
Biffle was on board the plane with his wife, Christina, and their two children, Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, according to the highway patrol and the family’s statement. The others on board were identified as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.
Greg Biffle celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, October 3, 2010, in Kansas City, Kansas.
AP Photo/Aurelien Wagner, file
“Each of them meant everything to us, and their absence leaves an immeasurable void in our lives,” the family’s joint statement said.
Biffle, 55, has won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Truck Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.
NASCAR described Biffle as “a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to many.”
“His passion for racing, integrity, and commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport,” NASCAR said.
Greg Biffle smiles along the pit row during qualifying for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Friday, Aug. 31, 2012, in Hampton, Georgia.
AP Photo/David Tullis, file
The plane, bound for Florida, took off from Statesville Airport shortly after 10 a.m., according to tracking data posted by FlightAware.com.
Golfers playing near the airport were so shocked when they witnessed the disaster that they fell to the ground at the Lakewood Golf Club while the plane was flying overhead. The ninth hole was covered in debris.
“We said, ‘Oh my God! This is so low,'” said Joshua Green of Mooresville. “It was scary.”
A team from the National Transportation Safety Board headed to North Carolina on Thursday to investigate. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating.
The Cessna, built in 1981, is a very popular midsize business jet with an excellent reputation, said Jeff Guzzetti, an aviation safety expert. It has two engines and usually seats six to eight passengers and two pilots.
In 2024, Bevel was subsequently honored for his humanitarian efforts Hurricane Helen He hit the United States, even using his personal helicopter to deliver aid to remote, flooded western North Carolina.
Former driver Greg Biffle waves to fans before a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Darlington Raceway, on August 31, 2025, in Darlington, South Carolina.
AP Photo/Matt Kelly, file
“The last time I spoke with Christina, just a few weeks ago, she reached out to ask me how she could help with relief efforts in Jamaica,” said North Carolina Republican Rep. Richard Hudson. “This is the case for the Peevles family.”
Wadsworth was a friend of Biffle and helped him with odd jobs, including delivering supplies to places hit by Hurricane Helen, his roommate, Benito Howell, said.
“He didn’t know how to say no,” Howell said of Wadsworth, who worked for several NASCAR teams. “He loved everyone. He always tried to help everyone.”
The family’s joint statement also spoke about Dutton and his son Jack, saying they were “also deeply loved, and their loss is felt by all who knew them.”
As 2025 draws to a close, there have been 1,331 plane crashes in the United States this year investigated by the NTSB, ranging from two-seat aircraft to commercial aircraft, compared to a total of 1,482 crashes in 2024.
Major air disasters around the world in 2025 include a helicopter collision that killed 67 people in Washington, the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people in India, and a plane crash in far eastern Russia that killed 48 people. Fourteen people, including 11 on the ground, have died in a UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky.
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Robertson reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writers John Sewer in Toledo, Ohio; Gina Fryer in Charlotte, North Carolina; Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska; Ed White in Detroit; Sarah Broomfield in Washington; Haley Golden in Seattle contributed to this story.