Multiple dead after plane crash at NC airport

STATESVILLE, N.C. (WBTV/WIS) – A plane crash in North Carolina on Thursday left multiple people dead just one week before Christmas, WBTV reports.

The plane involved in the crash is apparently associated with a big name in NASCAR.

A small, private plane crashed at the Statesville Regional Airport on Thursday morning, Dec. 18. The crash was reported around 10:15 a.m.

City and airport officials held a short press conference about two hours later to confirm preliminary details about the crash.

The airport is owned by the city of Statesville and frequented by Fortune 500 companies.

Airport officials said it would be closed “until further notice” while crews worked to clear debris from the runway.

The plane departed from the Statesville airport around 10:06 a.m., according to flight tracking records. It appeared to only get as far as the Lyle Creek area in Catawba before turning around.

The plane appeared to have touched down in the area of 17^th Tee Lane and East Aviation Drive, close to the runway.

Those same flight records show the plane landed around 10:32 a.m., but officials reported the crash at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday.

Federal Aviation Administration officials confirmed that six people were on board. The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that multiple people on the flight had died.

Neither agency confirmed whether there were any survivors, nor the names of those on board.

Flight records showed that the only flight in the air at the time was a Cessna C550, a Citation II out of the company’s Citation line of corporate jets.

That particular aircraft was registered to GB Aviation Leasing, an LLC associated with Pace Offroad. That company was created in 2011 by retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle.

Although he lived in Mooresville, Biffle spent months flying to and from the mountains of western North Carolina to deliver aid to those impacted by Hurricane Helene in 2024.

The FAA arrived at the airport around noon the day of the crash and took over the investigation. The preliminary report was not expected to be released until the following day.

The final report could take up to two years to be released.

National Transportation Safety Board officials planned on updating the community on Friday, but had not yet announced a time for that update, as of Thursday afternoon.

Once the family of the deceased has been notified, officials will release the names of those involved.

STATESVILLE, N.C. (WBTV/WIS) – A plane crash in North Carolina on Thursday left multiple people dead just one week before Christmas, WBTV reports.

The plane involved in the crash is apparently associated with a big name in NASCAR.

A small, private plane crashed at the Statesville Regional Airport on Thursday morning, Dec. 18. The crash was reported around 10:15 a.m.

City and airport officials held a short press conference about two hours later to confirm preliminary details about the crash.

The airport is owned by the city of Statesville and frequented by Fortune 500 companies.

Airport officials said it would be closed “until further notice” while crews worked to clear debris from the runway.

The plane departed from the Statesville airport around 10:06 a.m., according to flight tracking records. It appeared to only get as far as the Lyle Creek area in Catawba before turning around.

The plane appeared to have touched down in the area of 17^th Tee Lane and East Aviation Drive, close to the runway.

Those same flight records show the plane landed around 10:32 a.m., but officials reported the crash at 10:15 a.m. on Thursday.

Federal Aviation Administration officials confirmed that six people were on board. The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that multiple people on the flight had died.

Neither agency confirmed whether there were any survivors, nor the names of those on board.

Flight records showed that the only flight in the air at the time was a Cessna C550, a Citation II out of the company’s Citation line of corporate jets.

That particular aircraft was registered to GB Aviation Leasing, an LLC associated with Pace Offroad. That company was created in 2011 by retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle.

Although he lived in Mooresville, Biffle spent months flying to and from the mountains of western North Carolina to deliver aid to those impacted by Hurricane Helene in 2024.

The FAA arrived at the airport around noon the day of the crash and took over the investigation. The preliminary report was not expected to be released until the following day.

The final report could take up to two years to be released.

National Transportation Safety Board officials planned on updating the community on Friday, but had not yet announced a time for that update, as of Thursday afternoon.

Once the family of the deceased has been notified, officials will release the names of those involved.