NASCAR legend Greg Biffle and family killed in plane crash
A plane belonging to retired NASCAR star Greg Biffle crashed at Statesville Regional Airport at 10:15 a.m. en route to Bradenton, Florida.
Garrett Mitchell, better known as YouTuber Cleetus McFarland, confirmed that the Biffle family was on the ship and did indeed die in the incident.
“Unfortunately, I can confirm that Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, his daughter Emma, and his son Ryder were on that flight… because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us. We are devastated. I am so sorry to share this.”
Local authorities confirmed the losses but did not provide further details.
The incident occurred at 10:15 a.m. at the airport located 72 kilometers north of Charlotte, North Carolina, which is one of the regional facilities used by many organizations and individuals in the industry.
The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office was handling the incident, but in the hours since the crash the Federal Aviation Administration has joined them at the scene. A brief press conference was held at noon, at which airport manager John Ferguson did what he could at the time.
This was before Mitchell said the Biffles were among the casualties.
“As we said, around 10:15 a.m., we received a report of a jet crashing off the end of the east end runway. When I got out, the plane was completely engulfed. We had a lot of agencies come. The FAA came around 12 o’clock today.
“They are taking over the scene and investigation. We have no information about the cause. The airport is closed until further notice. It will take time to remove the debris from the runway.”
The following update on the plane crash reported in Statesville, NC is available from AccuWeather: “Adverse weather conditions were reported in the vicinity of Statesville Regional Airport at the time of the plane crash. Heavy drizzle and a cloud ceiling around 1,200 feet were reported at 10:15 a.m. The cloud ceiling was reported to have dropped to approximately 400 feet, with heavy rain reducing visibility to less than 2 miles at 10:30 a.m. Weather conditions are often a critical factor Investigators from a plane crash Then they examine it carefully. It may take months to a year or longer for investigators to determine whether weather conditions contributed to the crash.
The aircraft was identified immediately after the crash as a Cessna C550 with tail number N257BW, owned by Biffle’s GB Aviation Leasing LLC.
Biffle is the 2002 NASCAR Busch Series champion, the 2000 Craftsman Truck Series champion and has been named one of the 75 greatest drivers in the sport in 2023 for his 19 wins at the highest level, starting in 2002 and starting sporadically this decade.
In recent years, Biffle has been recognized for his philanthropy centering on animal welfare through his Greg Biffle Foundation and his relief efforts following Hurricane Helene in 2024. Biffle, a registered pilot, used his helicopter to transport supplies to Western North Carolina following the devastating storm.
According to Kenny Wallace, Craig Wadsworth was also on the plane with the Biffle family.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available
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