NTSB unclear who was at controls in jet crash that killed ex-NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and 6 others

STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Federal investigators are trying to figure out why a business jet carrying retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and six others tried to return to a North Carolina airport just after takeoff but plowed into light poles and a tree line short of the runway, killing everyone on board.

The Cessna C550 erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground Thursday morning, about a third of a mile (550 meters) from the airport's runway. They also don’t know who the was the lead pilot. Biffle was one of three people on board with a pilot’s license.

The jet had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Charlotte, 10 minutes earlier, but crashed while trying to return and land, authorities said.

Flight records indicate the plane was registered to a company run by Biffle. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board began examining the wreckage on Friday to help determine the cause of the crash and why the plane had returned to the airport in drizzle and cloudy conditions.

Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder, which could provide important clues about what happened. They were not aware of any emergency calls from the jet, NTSB member Michael Graham said at a Friday news conference.

There were three pilots on board. Federal Aviation Administration records show Biffle was rated to fly helicopters, and single- and multi-engine planes. Also on board was pilot Dennis Dutton, Dutton's son, Jack — who had a private pilot’s license for single-engine planes — and Biffle's friend Craig Wadsworth.

Biffle's wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, were also killed in the crash, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.

Cristina Biffle's mother told People magazine that her daughter sent her a text message saying, “We’re in trouble," before she didn't hear from her again.

Federal investigators on Friday didn't have answers yet about the crew.

Dennis Dutton was licensed and rated to fly this model of plane, but even then, he was supposed to fly with a co-pilot. Even though Biffle was rated to fly a multi-engine plane, he wasn’t listed as qualified to fly this particular jet or be a second officer. Dutton’s son, Jack, also had a pilot’s license but was only rated for single-engine planes.

“There is nobody else that has a second-in-command type rating in the airplane. So there’s a question on the crew,” aviation safety expert John Cox said.

The plane’s speed and altitude fluctuated significantly during the brief flight, and its path was consistent with a flight crew that experienced an issue and needed to return quickly, said former NTSB and FAA crash investigator Jeff Guzzetti.

At one point, the plane quickly soared from 1,800 feet (550 meters) up to 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) before descending again. Just before the crash, it was only a couple of hundred feet off the ground.

“One thing is certain: They were low. They were too low to make a safe landing on that runway,” Guzzetti said.

It’s unclear why the pilots didn’t make an emergency call, but their top priorities are flying the plane and figuring out where to land — not radioing for help. It’s possible they were too busy trying to control the plane and dealing with the problem. But Cox said it’s also possible that the problem they encountered wasn’t considered an emergency. And the pilots may not have made it a priority to make a radio call with no tower or firefighters at the airport.

Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.

In 2024, Biffle was honored for his humanitarian efforts after Hurricane Helene struck the U.S., even using his personal helicopter to deliver aid to flooded, remote western North Carolina.

A memorial with flowers sprouted up Friday by Biffle's marble star in his hometown of Mooresville, honoring him as a member of the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

Steve Miller dropped by to pay his respects. He met Biffle at a huge party after he was inducted in October. He told Biffle he hoped the racecar driver could help knock an item off his bucket list — taking a flight in a helicopter.

“Come knock on my door, I’ll take you up," Miller recalled Biffle telling him. "Never happened.”

Cessna Citations like the one that crashed Thursday are known as reliable, easy-to-fly jets. While the plane is in flight, one pilot is at the controls while the other pilot is the monitoring pilot, Cox said.

Roughly 1,000 of these 550 series jets have been made, and they have a very good safety record. “What accidents have occurred in this type were mostly due to very poor pilot decisions,” Guzzetti said.

The Statesville airport will remain closed at least through Saturday as the NTSB performs its investigation, officials said.

Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed; Jenna Fryer in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this story.

Nicole O'Healy, left, leaves flowers at the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame for Greg Biffle, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Mooresville, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

A supporter brings flowers to lay at the tribute at the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame for Greg Biffle, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Mooresville, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham, right, speaks at a media briefing on the fatal plane crash that killed former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family, while NTSB investigator Dan Baker listens on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Statesville, N.C. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)

National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham speaks at a media briefing Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Statesville, N.C., on the fatal plane crash that killed former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family. (AP Photo/Gary D. Robertson)

Flowers and cards are displayed at the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame for Greg Biffle, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Mooresville, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Supporters gather at the tribute next to the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame for Greg Biffle, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Mooresville, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Flowers are displayed at the NC Auto Racing Walk of Fame for Greg Biffle, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Mooresville, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

FILE - Former driver Greg Biffle waves to fans prior to a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Darlington Raceway, Aug. 31, 2025, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley, File)

First responders tend to the scene of a reported plane crash at a regional airport in Statesville, N.C., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

FILE - Greg Biffle celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010, in Kansas City, Kan. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner, File)

First responders tend to the scene of a reported plane crash at a regional airport in Statesville, N.C., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

FILE - Greg Biffle smiles along pit row during qualifying for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Friday, Aug. 31, 2012, in Hampton, Ga. (AP Photo/David Tulis, File)

The National Weather Service on Friday issued a rare warning for part of Colorado's Front Range as hurricane-force winds and tinder dry conditions boosted the threat of wildfire across several counties, while flood warnings were issued in Oregon as rivers there swelled from heavy rain.

It marked another day of severe weather in parts of the United States, with forecasters issuing warnings for everything from more wintry weather bearing down on North Dakota to red flag warnings in Nebraska and Texas and flood warnings from Washington south into California.

Most notable was the “particularly dangerous situation” fire weather warning issued in Colorado on Friday morning, a first for this western state. PDS warnings are reserved for the most severe scenarios, and in this case it was fueled by forecasters' concerns that extreme combinations of strong winds, super low humidity and critically dry fuels could lead to life-threatening fire danger.

“We don't really want people to panic because that doesn't help anything, but we want people to be prepared,” said Jennifer Stark, the meteorologist in charge of the weather service office in Boulder. She noted that it is the peak windy season for the area.

By late afternoon, a high wind warning was still in place for the foothills and adjacent plains. Winds would gradually weaken after sunset, forecasters said.

A gust of 105 mph (169 kph) was recorded Friday at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. The wind toppled trees and took down power lines around the region, and authorities shared images of dust storms as they urged people to stay off the roads.

Tens of thousands of customers were without power as Xcel Energy carried out another public safety power shut-off to prevent further fire risks. The utility warned that unplanned outages resulting from wind damage were expected to significantly exceed the number of customers affected by the preventive shutoffs.

In Nederland, a town in the Rocky Mountain foothills, Matt Arlen helped stock shelves in a grocery store that was without power on Friday, one day after a burst of “panic shopping” in response to extreme weather.

“We’re used to kind of high winds,” he said. “It’s more the power outage affecting people up here that don’t have fire places” for heat at home.

Still, the combination of winds and dry weather were on Arlen’s mind in a region that can be prone to wildfire. The 2021 Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in the nearby suburbs of Boulder.

“The only thing is, we haven’t had a lot of snow,” said the pricing coordinator at B&F Mountain Market.

In Wellington, a town of 11,000 residents on a notoriously windy stretch of the Colorado plains near the Wyoming state line, public library tech Elaine Ringland said the wind was on everyone’s mind. At home, she used a generator during a blackout Wednesday and Thursday to keep a fridge running and a freezer from defrosting.

“I can tell you right now, our flag is standing straight out," she said Friday. “We’re prepared if we have to close down the library. Our town is watching it, and they’re in touch with the power company.”

In Ringland’s home neighborhood, winds bent trees and tossed around shingles and tumbleweeds.

Meanwhile in northwestern Oregon, National Weather Service forecasters said they expected widespread river flooding to continue following heavy rains.

In the rural city of Sheridan some 50 miles southwest of Portland, a 52-year-old man died after driving past road-closure signs onto a road covered with high water, the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office said. A 911 caller saw a man get out of the car and into the water after the vehicle had been swept away by the current. His body was located by a drone and recovered by a rescue team and a resident, the sheriff’s office said.

Clackamas County, which spans some Portland suburbs and part of Mount Hood and the Cascade Range, sent evacuation notices to 300 residences, said county spokesperson Scott Anderson. Some of the most significant flooding occurred on the Sandy, Clackamas and Molalla rivers, with authorities performing rescues throughout the night, he said.

Among those rescued was a family of six who got stuck in their car after trying to drive on a flooded roadway, said Clackamas Fire District spokesperson Lynsey Amundson. Elsewhere, authorities used an inflatable raft to rescue a man from his home, she said.

In northern California, forecasters were expecting a Pineapple Express, a stronger atmospheric river that originates in the tropics near Hawaii, to arrive around Christmas Even. That forecast brought hope to ski resort operators that much anticipated precipitation will extend into the Sierra Nevada, where very little snow has fallen this season.

Associated Press writers Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, and Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, contributed to this report.

A couch that was blown off the balcony of a high-rise condominium building sits crumpled after falling to the street as hurricane-force winds whipped through the area Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Xcel Energy workers toil to repair power lines on a street closed after hurricane-force winds whipped through the metropolitan area and interrupted service to residents Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Xcel Energy workers work to repair power lines on a street closed after hurricane-force winds whipped through the metropolitan area and interrupted service to residents, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)