A local sheriff confirmed there are multiple deaths after a business jet crashed at an airport in North Carolina.
WASHINGTON — Authorities say a business jet crashed Thursday while landing at a regional airport in Statesville, North Carolina, erupting in a large fire and causing multiple fatalities.
The Federal Aviation Administration said a Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 a.m. Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating.
According to our Charlotte sister station WCNC, FAA registration indicates the plane’s tail number, N257BW, is owned by GB Aviation Leasing, a company owned by former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. Officials have not provided any details on who may have been on board the plane.
A local sheriff confirmed there were multiple deaths.
“I can confirm there were fatalities,” Iredell County Sheriff Grant Campbell said, though he declined to say how many.
The airport says on its website that Statesville Regional Airport provides corporate aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several NASCAR teams.
Statesville is about 45 miles north of Charlotte. Officials have not said whether there were injuries.
WCNC Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich shared an animation of the flight path. The plane immediately turned around and tried to land. It crashed while attempting to land back at the airport.
Photos and videos from the scene showed the plane engulfed in flames.