NASCAR icon Greg Biffle and his family killed in North Carolina plane crash
The footage quickly spread online, mirroring what multiple witnesses on the ground described: a low-flying plane, a violent impact, and a fire that spread with terrifying speed.
“Oh my gosh — that’s way too low”
“We were like, ‘Oh my gosh! That’s way too low,’” said Joshua Green. “It was scary.”
Nearby residents described seeing flames almost immediately.
“At first it was just a flame, then black smoke,” said James Jones, who initially thought a nearby house had caught fire. “There are residences on that side, too.”
Another neighbor, Michael Wingo, said he felt the heat of the explosion from his porch.
“I looked over and saw it. When it exploded, I could feel the heat from here.”
He later admitted the thought that the plane could have hit his home left him deeply shaken.
What might have gone wrong
The cause of the crash remains unknown.
But aviation expert Greg Feith, a former senior NTSB investigator, told NBC that early flight data suggests engine trouble. He explained that although pilots can manage with a single engine, a major malfunction can cause total loss of control.
“Land slightly downwind if you need to, but get the airplane on the ground under control and that’s the key.”
As investigators works to determine what went wrong, grief spread throughout the racing community and beyond. Tributes for Greg Biffle and his family came from colleagues and friends alike.
Garrett Mitchell, a close friend of the Biffles, shared on Facebook that the family had been on their way to visit him when the crash occurred. He called the loss “devastating.”Continue reading…
