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