A former NASCAR driver is suspected to be one of seven people killed in a plane crash at a regional airport in North Carolina, an official says.
A Highway Patrol spokesman said people on the ground confirmed that racer Greg Biffle was among those on board the plane.
Officials investigating the incident told reporters that the Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport at about 10:20 local time (15:20 GMT).
“Heartbreaking news from Statesville,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein posted on Twitter.
The BBC’s US partner CBS reported that the Cessna C550 plane was owned by a private company linked to retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle.
Mitchell Garrett, a professional baseball player, posted on Facebook that he planned to spend the afternoon with Biffle and his family.
“Unfortunately, I can confirm that Greg Biffle, his wife Christina, his daughter Emma, and his son Ryder were on that plane, as they were going to spend the afternoon with us,” he wrote on Facebook. “We are devastated. I’m devastated to share this.”
Statesville Airport Director John Ferguson described the plane as a corporate jet and said it was already in flames when he arrived at the scene.
The business jet took off at about 10:06 pm local time and was in the air for some time before the crash.
It crashed at the eastern end of the runway and officials are not yet aware of the cause.
Mr Ferguson told reporters the Statesville airport would remain closed until further notice as crews cleared debris from the runway.
Officials did not provide any information about the deaths or the people on board the plane during the media conference.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, said it is launching a GO team to investigate the fatal crash. The team is anticipated to arrive at the scene on Thursday night.
The city of Statesville owns Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH), situated approximately 45 minutes north of Charlotte.
It also provides aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several NASCAR racing teams.
Biffle, whose racing career spanned two decades, was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023. The 55-year-old won 19 Cup Series races in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.
NASCAR Winter Heat Series.
The Vancouver, Washington, native, known as The Biff, received national notice in 1995 when racing during that year’s NASCAR Winter Heat Series, according to his NASCAR profile.
He made a name for himself in the Craftsman Truck Series, winning the 1998 Rookie of the Year award and the 2000 series championship.
He was named the 2001 Rookie of the Year in the Xfinity Series and after winning the 2002 championship, he became the first driver with championships in both the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series.
He also co-founded the organisation’s Sand Outlaws series. Although he returned to racing after 2016, it appears he came out of retirement for a one-off race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2019, which he won.
“Racing is racing,” he told Nascar.com in 2021. “It’s that adrenaline; you want to be better than the competition, and you want to build a better piece and have a faster car. I just enjoy competing.”
