Multiple people are feared dead after a private jet reportedly owned by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle crash-landed near an airport runway in North Carolina.
The Cessna Citation airplane was seen engulfed in flames to the right of the runway at Statesville Regional Airport on Thursday morning at around 10:15 am.
It is unclear how many people were on the plane when it plummeted to the ground, but the model has a capacity for eight to 10 passengers. It
It is not immediately clear if Biffle was on board the doomed aircraft.
Images showed the inferno ripping through the jet – which can cost as much as $2.5 million – as thick black smoke was seen blanketing the air.
The Federal Aviation Authority told the Daily Mail that the Cessna C550 crashed while attempting to land. GB Aviation Leasing LLC owns the aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation and the Iredell County Sheriff has been contacted for comment. No deaths have been confirmed.
Witnesses who were at nearby Lakewood Golf Club said the plane was flying ‘way to low’ before it crashed.
The Statesville Regional Airport is owned by the city, and according to its website, it provides facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several NASCAR teams.
There are 89 aircraft based there, FAA records showed.
Statesville Regional Airport said in a statement: ‘We can confirm there has been an aircraft incident at the Statesville Regional Airport.
‘At approximately 10:15 am, an aircraft crashed while landing. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is en route and will investigate the incident.’
This is a breaking news story.
