Plane crashes while landing at North Carolina airport, deaths reported
A business jet crashed Thursday at a North Carolina regional airport used by NASCAR teams and Fortune 500 companies, causing a major fire and killing several people, authorities said.
“I can confirm that there have been deaths,” said Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell, without specifying the number.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the crash alongside the National Transportation Safety Board, told CBS News there were six people on board the plane. It was not immediately known if anyone survived, CBS affiliate WBTV reported.
The Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 a.m. Thursday, according to the FAA. A photo of the plane shows it in the grip of a major fire.
Flight tracking records show that a Cessna 550 that took off from Statesville Regional Airport just after 10 a.m. belongs to a private company in North Carolina, according to WBTV. The private company is affiliated with Greg Biffle, a retired NASCAR driver, the station reported, citing business records.
It is unclear who was on board the plane at the time of the crash.
WSOC via AP 
In a social media post, the airport confirmed there had been a “plane incident” and said the FAA was on its way to investigate. The airport is closed under new orders, said airport director John Ferguson.
Ferguson said it would take “some time to remove the debris from the runway and return it to safety.” He added that the airport had no information on the causes of the accident. AccuWeather said there were clouds and drizzle at the time.
The airport says on its website that Statesville Regional Airport, located about 45 minutes north of Charlotte, provides business aviation facilities to Fortune 500 companies and several NASCAR teams.
Golfers playing near the airport were shocked when they witnessed the disaster, even falling to the ground at Lakewood Golf Club as the plane was overhead. The ninth hole was covered in debris.
“We were like, ‘Oh my God! This is way too low,'” said Joshua Green of Mooresville. “It was scary.”
A flight path available on FlightAware, a flight tracking website, appears to show the plane left and then looped back to the airport.
The plane had planned to fly later from Sarasota, Florida, to Treasure Cay International Airport in the Bahamas before returning to Fort Lauderdale and then returning to Statesville in the evening, according to data published by FlightAware.
This is a developing story. Please check again for updates.
