Seven Killed As Small Plane Crashes At North Carolina Airport | World News

Seven people were killed when a small jet crashed into a regional airport in Statesville, North Carolina, police said.

According to police, those killed in the crash included former NASCAR (National Stock Car Auto Racing Association) driver Greg Biffle, his wife and two children, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the Cessna C550 jet crashed while landing at the airport around 10:20 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, causing a massive fire.

The plane took off from the airport shortly after 10 a.m. but later turned back and tried to land there, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.

The identification of the victims is pending the approval of the Forensic Medicine Institute.

“This is still an active incident,” Statesville City Manager Ron Smith said at a brief news conference on Dec. 18, calling the crash a multi-agency response and adding that the investigation was “evolving.”

Video footage shows first responders running to the runway as the wreckage of the plane bursts into flames.

Statesville Regional Airport manager John Ferguson told reporters that the FAA had taken over the crash scene. “The airport is currently closed until further notice. It will take some time for debris to be removed from the runway to make it safe again,” he said.

The FAA said the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened an investigation into the crash.