North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein confirmed Thursday afternoon that former NASCAR star Greg Biffle was one of the multiple victims of a crash at Statesville Regional Airport in rural North Carolina.
The airport reported that an “aircraft accident” occurred around 10 a.m. local time, and local law enforcement authorities have confirmed that multiple people were killed. Others on board have not yet been identified.
Concerns arose that Biffle might have been involved in the crash shortly after it was discovered that the plane was owned by a company called GB Aviation Leasing, whose headquarters address matched Biffle’s address in Mooresville, North Carolina.
The plane took off from Statesville Airport at 10:06 a.m. and then suddenly turned back to the airport, according to tracking data from the FlightAware website. The plane was scheduled to fly from Sarasota, Florida, to the Bahamas late Thursday afternoon, according to FlightAware’s upcoming flight log.
Biffle is a licensed pilot who uses his helicopter skills to help people in remote areas of the state that were affected by severe flooding caused by Hurricane Helene last year.
“In addition to his success as a NASCAR driver, Greg Biffle lived a life of courage and compassion and stood up for Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene,” Stein wrote on social media. “My heart goes out to everyone who lost a loved one in this tragic accident.”
Biff, 55, has won 19 Cup Series races in his NASCAR career. His best season was in 2005, when he finished second in points behind Tony Stewart. He finished in the top 10 in the standings in six different seasons.
Biffler finished in the top 10 in the Cup Series standings six different seasons. He finished third in 2008 and fifth in 2012. He was nominated for the NASCAR Hall of Fame and was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have taken over the investigation of the incident.
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