CRIME & LAW

Statesville jet crash kills seven, NTSB reports preliminary details

PUBLISHED Dec 19, 2025, 6:06 PM ET

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Statesville jet crash kills seven, NTSB reports preliminary details

Media Bias Meter

Sources: 6

Center 67%

Right 33%

Sources: 6

Statesville, N.C. investigators said a Cessna Citation 550 crashed while returning to Statesville Regional Airport on Thursday, killing seven people including former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and six companions. The aircraft departed about 10:05 a.m., made turns indicating a return to the airport roughly five minutes later, and impacted before reaching the runway roughly 10:20 a.m., erupting in fire. The National Transportation Safety Board said a passenger texted "emergency landing," the cockpit voice recorder has been sent to Washington, and wreckage and witness statements are under examination as part of an ongoing investigation. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

By Mahnoor A. | JQJO News

Timeline of Events

Dec. 18, ~10:05 a.m. — Cessna Citation 550 departs Statesville Regional Airport.
Dec. 18, ~10:10 a.m. — Aircraft reportedly made turns indicating return to the airport.
Dec. 18, ~10:15–10:20 a.m. — Aircraft impacted before runway and erupted in fire; seven fatalities confirmed.
Dec. 19 — NTSB held news conference providing preliminary flight-path and recovery details.
Dec. 20 — Cockpit voice recorder sent to Washington; investigators continued wreckage and witness analysis.

Media Bias

Articles Published:: 6
Right Leaning:: 2
Left Leaning:: 0
Neutral:: 4
Distribution:: Left 0%, Center 67%, Right 33%

Who Benefited

Aviation investigators and safety regulators benefit from recovered evidence and cockpit voice recorder analysis to determine cause and guide safety recommendations.