Citation II Accident at Statesville Airport Kills Six

A Cessna Citation II crashed while landing this morning at Statesville Regional Airport (KSVH) in North Carolina, killing all six onboard, according to local authorities and the FAA. Emergency responders found the airplane—N257BW and registered to GB Leasing, a holding company owned by Nascar driver Greg Biffle—fully engulfed in flames just off the side of Runway 10/28.

According to FlightRadar 24 data, the twinjet took off at 10:07 a.m. ET headed for Florida’s Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport (KSRQ). However, the pilot reportedly encountered engine issues shortly after takeoff and returned to land at KSVH about 10 minutes later, when the crash occurred.

Statesville Fire Department and multiple Iredell County agencies responded to the accident at approximately 10:20 a.m. In an initial update, Iredell Firewire reported that the aircraft was “fully engulfed in flames,” adding that “if anyone is on board, there will be no survivors.” Authorities later confirmed that all six occupants onboard were found deceased.

The FAA said in a statement that the Cessna II crashed while landing at “around 10:20 a.m. local time on Thursday, Dec. 18.” Social media posts suggest the aircraft had engine trouble before returning, and local news reports indicated the jet crashed on airport property, prompting the temporary closure of the airport as emergency crews worked the scene.

Multiple media outlets reported that the airplane was owned by Nascar driver Greg Biffle, citing public ownership records. Authorities have not released the identities of the victims or commented on the reported ownership. 

The FAA and NTSB are investigating the accident scene, with the latter agency leading the investigation. KSVH is closed until further notice.