scary.”
Nearby residents described seeing flames almost immediately.
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.
“In the flight path, it looks like they’re trying to fly a normalized pattern to get back to the runway that they took off on rather than taking a 200-degree turn and land opposite direction,” Feith said.
“Land slightly downwind if you need to, but get the airplane on the ground under control and that’s the key.”
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.”
Over X, North Carolina Congressman Tim Moore honored Biffle not only for his talent on the track but also for his community efforts, highlighting his support for local recovery after Hurricane Helene.
On the same platform, fellow NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer remembered Biffle as “a skilled racer, a generous individual, and a devoted family man.”
