A business jet reportedly owned by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crashed Thursday while landing at a regional airport in Statesville, North Carolina. The accident sparked a large fire, resulting in multiple fatalities, per WSOC-TV.
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The Federal Aviation Administration reported that a Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport at 10:20 a.m. on Thursday. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
Harrowing footage from the incident shows the wreckage engulfed in flames.
Ongoing: a Citation crashed in N. Carolina (US). There were 6 aboard, 5 confirmed death. First reports by state jet was trying to return to following an issue after take-off from Statesville Reg. Airport. Jet ("N257BW") was owned by former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle pic.twitter.com/eRHgIXkmdh
— Air Safety #OTD by Francisco Cunha (@OnDisasters) December 18, 2025
According to WSOC-TV, FAA registration shows the plane’s tail number, N257BW, belongs to GB Aviation Leasing, a company owned by former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. Officials have not released details on who was on board.
A local sheriff’s office has confirmed multiple fatalities in the plane crash.
The Jet Crash Reportedly Occurred When the Aircraft Attempted to Return to the Airport
According to its website, Statesville Regional Airport offers corporate aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and multiple NASCAR teams. Located about 45 miles north of Charlotte, the airport has not yet provided information regarding any injuries.
Charlotte outlet WCNC Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich shared an animation of the flight path, which showed the plane immediately turning around to attempt a landing. The aircraft crashed while trying to return to the airport.
Update..This was the flight path of the Cessna 550 Citation that took off from Statesville airport and immediately turned around and tried to land. It did crash on that landing attempt back at the airport. More–>https://t.co/kAMeQu1QQM pic.twitter.com/rBeME1bX8o
— Brad Panovich (@wxbrad) December 18, 2025
Statesville City Manager Ron Smith confirmed that local, state, and federal agencies are present at the scene.
“Everybody is here on site at this point, and we anticipate this will be going for quite some time,” Smith said, per WCNC.
🚨#BREAKING: The plane that has crashed in North Carolina is confirmed to be owned by Greg Biffle.
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) December 18, 2025
Greg is the NASCAR driver and hero who flew hundreds of rescue missions in Western North Carolina in his helicopter after Hurricane Helene. pic.twitter.com/Wyq7pVLwaS
This is a developing story…