Plane owned by fmr. NASCAR driver crashes in NC; deaths confirmed

STATESVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Several radical are dormant aft a tiny backstage pitchy crashed soon aft takeoff successful Statesville, North Carolina, according to a section sheriff's bureau official.

The clang happened soon aft 10:15 a.m., Iredell County Chief Deputy Bill Hamby said. The nonstop fig of fatalities is not known astatine this point, helium added.

"A Cessna C550 crashed portion landing astatine Statesville Regional Airport successful North Carolina astir 10:20 a.m. section clip connected Thursday, Dec. 18. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board volition investigate. The NTSB volition pb the probe and supply immoderate updates," the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

An airdrome spokesperson told ABC that the level crashed arsenic it was trying to instrumentality to the runway.

Statesville Regional Airport, astir 45 miles northbound of Charlotte, is an uncontrolled airdrome with nary power tower. Pilots are required to self-report their presumption connected and adjacent the airdrome utilizing a communal vigor frequency.

Low clouds, airy rain, and visibility of little than 3 miles were reported astir 80 minutes aft the crash, according to an automated upwind presumption astatine the airport. It is not wide if these conditions were contiguous erstwhile the level crashed.

The agency's records amusement this level is owned by GB Aviation Leasing, a constricted liability institution based successful NC. North Carolina authorities concern records amusement that erstwhile NASCAR operator Greg Biffle is the manager of the company.

It is chartless whether Biffle was connected board, however galore passengers were connected the plane, oregon their conditions.

"The Statesville Regional Airport provides firm aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and respective NASCAR teams," according to the metropolis website

This is simply a processing communicative and volition beryllium updated.

CNN contributed to this report.