A plane crashed in Iredell County, North Carolina on Thursday, killing several people.
The “aircraft incident” was first reported by Statesville Regional Airport, which said in a Facebook post: “At approximately 10:15 a.m., an aircraft crashed on landing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is en route and will be investigating the incident.”
Subsequently, local media reports, citing the sheriff’s office, confirmed that the incident in question was a plane crash.
The plane took off from the airport before immediately turning around and attempting to land before bursting into flames, local media outlet WCNC reported, shedding light on how the crash occurred.
An investigation by the North Carolina Highway Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently underway, and more details are expected throughout the day.
What do we know about the victims?
It was not immediately clear how many people were on board the crashed plane and the number of victims is not yet known.
However, reports suggest there are fears of multiple deaths.
While details of the crash remain scarce, RT (formerly Russia Today) reported that a 1981 Cessna Citation II (Model 550) plane had crashed.
The plane was reportedly owned by GB Aviation Leasing, which in turn is owned by NASCAR driver Greg Biffle. However, it remains unclear whether the driver was on board.
However, if the Statesville Regional Airport website is anything to go by, the news might be credible – the website reads: “Statesville Regional Airport provides corporate aviation facilities to Fortune 500 companies and several NASCAR teams.”
It should be noted that the airport is only 45 miles from Charlotte Motor Speedway, which hosts two annual NASCAR races: the Coca-Cola 600 (originally known as the World 600) and the Bank of America Roval 400.
Visuals from social media showed the plane in flames, with nothing but the tail identifiable in the fiery wreckage.
(This is a developing story. Check back for updates)
