(NewsNation) —The sports world is mourning the loss of NASCAR legend Greg Biffle, who was killed in a plane crash Thursday alongside his wife and two children.
Biffle’s private jet went down minutes after takeoff as it attempted to return to Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading an investigation into the crash and will arrive Friday to examine debris. A doorbell camera from a nearby home caught the moment the plane crashed, bursting into flames.
“My blinds were closed, but it was a little bit open, so I kind of, like, saw some red flares and a little bit after that, I just heard, like, a big ruckus that shook the house,” resident Brevin Renwick said.
In a joint statement, the families confirmed the deaths of Greg and Cristina Biffle, their son Ryder and daughter Emma, along with Dennis Dutton and his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.
“We are devastated by the loss of our loved ones,” the statement reads. “This tragedy has left all of our families heartbroken beyond words.”
“Greg and Cristina were devoted parents and active philanthropists whose lives were centered around their young son Ryder and Greg’s daughter Emma,” the statement continued. “Each of them meant everything to us, and their absence leaves an immeasurable void in our lives.”
Biffle was known for his work on and off the track. An experienced pilot, Biffle used his private helicopter to help deliver supplies to North Carolina residents stranded by flooding brought on by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. At the time, NewsNation’s Anna Kooiman interviewed the family about how they used their skills and connections to deliver food and medical supplies to stranded residents in the region.
“We got tagged in a bunch of posts on Facebook,” Cristina Biffle said in the interview. “There’s a family with two small kids and an Airbnb that got stuck, and they’re looking for helicopters. And this is before we knew anything that had actually happened up there. And I told Greg, I said, Hey, listen, we have a helicopter. Should we go? And he said, ‘OK, I’ll try.’ And that’s kind of when the whole thing started.”
As the investigation into Thursday’s crash continues, officials said it would take time to clear the debris from the tarmac.
Roy Yelton, who knew Biffle for decades, says he would want everyone to go on.
“I know it will hit me more when I realize it is just really over. His friendship will always be there in my heart,” he said.