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North Carolina An airport fire Thursday killed seven people, including retired NASCAR star Greg Biffle and three members of his family, officials said.
What happened?
The plane took off Thursday morning about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Statesville Regional Airport charlotteShortly after takeoff, the jet turned back toward the airport and crashed while attempting to land, according to tracking data posted by FlightAware,com,
Video from WSOC-TV showed first responders rushing to the runway, where flames were burning near scattered debris.
Investigators have said it is too early to determine what caused the crash. According to AccuWeather, there was some drizzle and clouds at that time.
According to its website, Statesville Regional Airport provides corporate aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several NASCAR teams.
Who was on board?
According to a joint statement issued by the victims’ families, there were seven people on board the plane, including Greg Biffle; his wife, Christina Grossu Biffle; his son, Ryder; and daughter of Greg Biffle, emma,
The statement identified the other victims as Craig Wadsworth, Dennis Dutton and Dutton’s son Jack, all of whom are “beloved by many in the NASCAR community.”
“Each of them means everything to us and their absence leaves an immeasurable void in our lives,” the statement said.
Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He won championships in both the lower-level national truck and Xfinity series – the first driver to do so – and spent almost his entire career driving for Roush Fenway Racing, headquartered about 40 miles south of the crash site.
According to Wadsworth’s roommate Benito Howell, Wadsworth, a longtime behind-the-scenes employee with several NASCAR teams, was a friend of Biffle and helped him with odd jobs, including delivering supplies to locations affected by Hurricane Helene the year before.
Biffle joins the grim list of athletes who have died in plane or helicopter crashes.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said the plane was a Cessna C550, a popular midsize business jet with an excellent reputation. Flight records show the plane was registered to a company run by Greg Biffle.
FloridaAnd then to the airport of Treasure Bahamas Before returning.
Guzzetti said Biffle’s plane was built in 1981 and would probably cost between $1 million and $10 million, depending on how it is finished. The Cessna 550 Citation has two engines and typically seats six to eight passengers.