Friday, December 19, 2025 - Former US race car driver Greg Biffle and members of his family were among seven people killed in a plane crash in North Carolina, police said.
The Cessna C550 business jet burst into flames after hitting
the ground while attempting to land at Statesville Regional Airport, about 45
miles north of Charlotte, on Thursday.
Flight records show the aircraft was registered to a company
run by the former Nascar (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
driver.
“Although the post-crash fire prevents us from releasing a
definitive list of the occupants at this time, it is believed that Mr Gregory
Biffle and members of his immediate family were occupants of the airplane,”
local state police said.
Golfers playing next to the airport described scenes of
shock as they witnessed the crash, with some dropping to the ground at Lakewood
Golf Club as the plane passed overhead.
Debris was scattered across the course, including on the
ninth hole.
“We were like, ‘Oh my gosh! That’s way too low,'” Joshua
Green said. “It was scary.”
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the crash.
AccuWeather said there was light rain and clouds at the time.
Flight tracking data from FlightAware showed the
plane took off shortly after 10am before returning to the airport and
attempting to land.
The aircraft had planned to fly later from Sarasota,
Florida, to Treasure Cay in the Bahamas, before returning to Fort Lauderdale
and then on to Statesville by the evening.
So far this year, the NTSB has investigated 1,331 aviation
crashes in the US, ranging from small private planes to commercial aircraft,
compared with 1,482 in 2024.
Major air disasters worldwide in 2025 have included a plane
and helicopter collision in Washington that killed 67 people, an Air
India crash that claimed 260 lives, and
a crash in Russia’s Far East that killed 48.
Fourteen people, including 11 on the ground, were also
killed when a UPS cargo plane crashed in Kentucky.
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