National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators said Friday afternoon they have recovered the cockpit voice recorder from a Cessna Citation 550 that crashed while attempting to land at Statesville Regional Airport on Thursday, killing all seven people aboard. Among those who died was former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, along with his wife and children. The jet was engulfed in flames after impact, and was destroyed just short of Runway 28.
Briefing from Dan Baker, the NTSB investigator in charge, on yesterday's plane crash that took the life of Greg Biffle, his family, and three others.
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) December 19, 2025
The airplane took off at approx. 10:05 AM ET from runway 28 at Statesville Regional Airport, about 10 minutes prior to the… pic.twitter.com/qYi0Yor7kv
Flight history
Biffle’s aircraft, built in 1981 and registered to GB Aviation Leasing LLC, departed Statesville around 10:05 a.m. before looping back and crashing roughly 10 minutes later. NTSB representatives said preliminary radar and ADS-B data show the jet made two left turns after departure, aligning for an approach to the same runway it had used for takeoff. Although weather at the time was VFR, there were broken cloud ceilings with drizzle.
According to the NTSB, the aircraft struck runway lighting fixtures about 1,800 feet from the threshold before hitting trees, more lighting structures, and the airport perimeter fence, coming to rest with its nose pointed east.
Recovery status
Investigators said post-impact fire consumed most of the fuselage and inboard wing sections. All four corners of the aircraft and flight control surfaces have been located.
Officials confirmed the aircraft carrying Biffle and his family did not carry a flight data recorder and was not required to. The voice recorder is now en route to Washington for analysis.
The investigation remains in early stages and could take up to 18 months, investigators said.
