The Cessna C550 went down and burst into flames while attempting to land at a regional airport in Statesville, about 72 kilometers north of Charlotte, North Carolina, on December 18. Flight records show the aircraft was registered to a company operated by Greg Biffle, a former NASCAR star. All seven occupants of the plane were killed.
“Due to the post-crash fire, we are not yet able to release an official list of those on board, but we believe the passengers included Greg Biffle and his family,” state police said.
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Biffle is believed to have been traveling with his wife, Cristina, and their two children, Ryder and Emma. The remaining passengers were Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth. According to data from FlightAware, the aircraft departed at around 10 a.m. bound for Florida but later turned back in an apparent attempt to make an emergency landing.
Golfers near the airport described scenes of shock as they witnessed the aircraft flying unusually low overhead before crashing. Several people reportedly dropped to the ground for safety as debris scattered across the ninth hole of the golf course.
“We thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s way too low.’ It was terrifying,” golfer Joshua Green recalled.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have launched an investigation into the crash. Weather data indicated light rain and cloudy conditions at the time of the accident.
Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three national series, including 19 victories in the Cup Series. He also claimed championships in the Truck Series in 2000 and the Xfinity Series in 2002. In a statement, NASCAR said Biffle was “not only a champion driver but also a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to many,” adding that his passion, integrity, and dedication left a lasting mark on the sport.
So far this year, the NTSB has investigated a total of 1,331 aircraft accidents in the United States, compared with 1,482 incidents recorded in all of 2024.
Several major aviation accidents have occurred worldwide in 2025, including a midair collision between a commercial plane and a helicopter in Washington that killed 67 people, an Air India crash that left 260 dead, and an incident in Russia’s Far East that claimed 48 lives. Fourteen people, including 11 on the ground, were also killed in a recent cargo plane crash in Kentucky.