NASCAR legend and hall of fame nominee Greg Biffle was on a private jet that crashed while landing Thursday morning in Statesville, North Carolina, the state highway patrol has confirmed.
Seven people onboard the Cessna Citation C550 business jet died, Iredell County Chief Deputy Sheriff Bill Hamby told The Epoch Times. Staff at the airport told authorities Biffle was one of the people onboard a plane the former NASCAR driver owned, according to the trooper.
“Greg Biffle was one of those deceased occupants,” a North Carolina State trooper confirmed to media in a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Officials are awaiting medical examiner confirmation for the other names.
The weather at the airport was rainy and in the lower 40s when the accident occurred, according to the National Weather Service.
The small jet crashed at the end of the runway after trying to reapproach at about 10:15 a.m. at the municipal airport located about 45 miles from Charlotte, city officials reported.
Biffle’s friend said on Facebook that Biffle and his wife, Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on the plane.
The family was “on their way to spend the afternoon with us,” Garrett Mitchell stated. “We are devastated. I’m so sorry to share this.”
Greg Biffle, driver of the #51 Toyota Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 7, 2019. (Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)Biffle, 55, was a licensed pilot with licenses for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. He used his skills to provide disaster relief in hard-to-reach areas after Hurricane Helene, flying in food and medicine.
The former NASCAR driver started his career in 1995 and was named one of NASCAR’s 75 greatest drivers. He ended his driving career in 2016, according to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
He married Cristina Grossu in 2022, and the couple shared 5-year-old son Ryder. He also had a daughter, Emma, 14, with his ex-wife Nicole Lunders.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein heard the news Thursday and said he was heartbroken.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Stein said during a press conference on an unrelated issue. “Our hearts go out to those families.”
County and city emergency response personnel were working on the incident, and the Federal Aviation Administration arrived within a few hours and took over the investigation, according to the airport manager.
The National Transportation Safety Board plans to hold a media briefing Friday about the crash.
Records show that the plane was owned by Biffle through GB Aviation Leasing, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
