need to know
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New surveillance video shows the moment a Cessna C550 carrying NASCAR champion Greg Biffle and six others crashed
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Plane crashes and explodes into fireball while trying to land at Statesville Regional Airport
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The mother of Biffle’s wife, Christina Grossu, told People the plane was headed to Sarasota, Fla., for a “birthday trip.”
New surveillance video shows the plane carrying Greg Biffle, his family and three others caught fire at a North Carolina airport Thursday morning.
In the video, a Cessna C550 crashes and skids off the runway at Statesville Regional Airport on Thursday, December 18, exploding into a fireball and leaving a thick plume of black smoke.
All seven passengers on the business jet registered to Biffle, 55, were killed in the crash, including the NASCAR champion, his wife Cristina Grossu Biffle, 35, their 5-year-old son Ryder and Greg’s 14-year-old daughter Emma.
Craig Wadsworth, a well-known figure in NASCAR circles who drove former racer Kenny Wallace’s RV, was also on the plane, along with Dennis Dutton and his son Jack.
Bobby Renwick from Storyful
Video shows the moment Greg Biffle’s plane crashed on December 18
Dennis Dutton was a commercial airline pilot, but it was unclear who was flying the plane at the time of the accident.
Biffle became certified to fly multi-engine aircraft in March, but his license did not allow him to be the sole pilot, NBC affiliate WCNC reported.
Christina Grossu-Biffler/Instagram
Greg Biffler and wife Christina. Son Ryder and daughter Emma, photographed in July 2022
Jack Dutton, a 2024 graduate of Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina, recently received his single-engine pilot certification, the station reported. Jack is a junior at Auburn University, where he studies aviation, Cornelius Today reported.
The NTSB shared on X that a team of 16 NTSB investigators left Washington, D.C., for North Carolina late Thursday afternoon and will now piece together the plane’s final moments.
NTSB member Michael Graham is expected to hold a media briefing on the investigation on Friday, December 19.
FlightAware data shows the plane left the regional airport, which has no control tower, shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday, bound for Sarasota, Florida. It returned a few minutes later and attempted to land when it crashed.
AccuWeather’s Dan DePodwin told PEOPLE in a statement that fog and heavy rain were seen in the area.
Bobby Renwick from Storyful
Footage of Greg Biffle’s plane crash on December 18
“Severe weather conditions were reported near Statesville Regional Airport around the time of the crash,” said DePodwin, vice president of forecast operations at AccuWeather. “Drizzle was reported at 10:15 a.m. with clouds near 1,200 feet. Clouds were reported to have dropped to around 400 feet and heavy rain reduced visibility to less than 2 miles at 10:30 a.m.”
Investigators have not yet determined whether weather played a role in the crash.
In the final moments of the flight, Christina Biffle sent a heart-wrenching text message, her mother told PEOPLE on Thursday.
“She texted me on the plane and said, ‘We’re in trouble.’ That was it,” Cathy Grosu recalled. “So we were devastated.” Our hearts are broken. “
Cathy told People the group was heading to Florida for a “birthday trip.”
Biffle will turn 56 on Tuesday, December 23.
Read the original article on People