NASCAR star and family killed in plane crash at North Carolina airport
Local authorities confirmed that the crash has resulted in fatalities.
A plane belonging to NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crashed at a North Carolina airport, leading to multiple fatalities, including Biffle and his wife and children.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that a Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina around 10:20 a.m. local time. Six people were reported to be on board. “The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will lead the investigation and provide any updates,” the agency said.
Records reviewed by EW show that the plane is owned GB Aviation Leasing, with local news outlets WSOC and Fox 8 reporting that the address on file for GB Aviation matches the address for Biffle.
The airport is closed until further notice as crews work to remove debris from the runway, according to Statesville Regional Airport director John Ferguson.
The Associated Press also reported that the FAA and local authorities confirmed that the crash has resulted in multiple fatalities.
Shortly after the news broke, fellow NASCAR driver Garrett Mitchell, who is also known as internet personality Cleetus McFarland, said he knew it was Biffle and his family that were on the plane.
“Unfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Christina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane…because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us,” Mitchell wrote in a post shared on Facebook. “We are devastated. I’m so sorry to share this.”
Law enforcement has not yet confirmed the identities of those deceased.
Biffle married wife Cristina Grossu in 2023, and the couple shared 5-year-old son Ryder. He shared daughter Emma, 14, with ex-wife Nicole Lunders.
Biffle began his NASCAR career in 1995. According to his page on the NASCAR Hall of Fame site, he was named the 1998 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Rookie of Year and the 2000 series champion. He was also the 2001 Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Busch Series before going on to becoming the 2002 champion. Biffle won 19 races from 2003 to 2016 and was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.
Greg Biffle Survived Plane ‘Mechanical Failure’ 14 Years Before Dying in Crash
The NASCAR champion called his pilots “heroes” after his plane experienced a landing gear problem in March 2011
Greg Biffle was involved in a close call more than a decade before his death.
The NASCAR champ, who died in a plane crash Thursday along with his wife, their two children and three others in North Carolina, was involved in a minor accident in March 2011 at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky., according to the New Haven Register and Kentucky.com.
Biffle and two pilots were not injured when the plane’s landing gear malfunctioned, causing it to “partially collapse” during arrival, according to the outlets.
Biffle spoke out on social media after the crash, writing, “My pilots are purely heroes for maintaining control of the aircraft keeping on the runway, if not it wouldn’t have been the same outcome.”
In a later interview for Nascar Now on ESPN2, Biffle called the incident a “small plane accident” and described the frightening moments. He recalled noticing that the left wing of the plane was rising during the flight and saw the right wing drag on the runway, causing it to spark.
A spokesperson for the airport at the time told the NH Register that the airport did not classify the incident as a crash at the time, instead calling it a “mechanical failure.”
On Thursday morning, Biffle, 55, was traveling with his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, 14, and son Ryder, 5, aboard a Cessna C550 that crashed while attempting to land in foggy weather at Statesville Regional Airport at around 10:15 a.m., according to the Associated Press.
Rep. Richard Hudson, a family friend, confirmed it was Biffle and his family on board on Thursday after initial reports his plane had crashed. “I am devastated by the loss of Greg, Cristina, and their children, and my heart is with all who loved them,” Hudson wrote on X.
“They were friends who lived their lives focused on helping others. Greg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track,” he continued.
Hudson added, “The last time I spoke with Cristina, just a couple of weeks ago, she reached out to ask how she could help with relief efforts in Jamaica. That’s who the Biffles were.”