NASCAR great, his family and several others were killed in a fiery plane crash at a North Carolina airport in December.<\/p>\n
Published Jan 07, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 1\u00a0hour ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Less than a month after a fiery plane crash took the lives of seven people, including retired NASCAR star Greg Biffle, several frantic 911 calls have been released.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Among the calls, which were revealed by TMZ on Tuesday<\/a>, one person at a nearby golf course said that they saw a \u201chuge explosion\u201d after watching the Cessna C550 plane carrying Biffle and his family crash into a tree line and onto the runway at the Statesville Regional Airport.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The dispatcher told the caller not to risk exploring the scene and that help was on the way.<\/p>\n Another caller, who was at the North Carolina airport, detailed a \u201cbig fire\u201d breaking out at the end of a runway.<\/p>\n They also tried to estimate how many people could have been onboard the tragic flight as the dispatcher gathered information.<\/p>\n A third caller, who was an apparent worker at the airport, said that the facility needed to be shut down immediately, while another said they were just 200 yards from the crash site when they made the call.<\/p>\n Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, their 14-year-old daughter Emma and 5-year-old son Ryder were killed in the crash. Craig Wadsworth, Dennis Dutton and Dutton\u2019s son, Jack, also were identified as victims.<\/p>\n How the crash happened<\/p>\n The incident occurred on Dec. 18 just before 10:30 a.m. when the Cessna C500 crashed and burst into flames as it attempted to land.<\/p>\n According to virtual flight log data, the plane took off from Statesville airport and \u201cimmediately turned around and tried to land,\u201d crashing on its attempt.<\/p>\n Your Midday Sun<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n According to reports, the plane was headed to Florida for a birthday trip, with Greg Biffle set to turn 56 on Dec. 23.<\/p>\n Garrett Mitchell, a family friend and an auto racing social media personality, first posted on Facebook that the Biffle family were on board the plane when it crashed.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, I can confirm Greg Biffle, his wife Cristina, daughter Emma, and son Ryder were on that plane \u2026 because they were on their way to spend the afternoon with us,\u201d Mitchell, who posts under the pseudonym Cleetus McFarland, posted on Facebook<\/a>. \u201cWe are devastated. I\u2019m so sorry to share this.\u201d<\/p>\n Last message from the flight<\/p>\n Just moments before the fatal plane crash<\/a>, Cristina Biffle sent a haunting text to her mother<\/a>.<\/p>\n Speaking with People<\/a>, Cristina\u2019s mother, Cathy Grossu, shared that her daughter knew that something had gone wrong during the flight.<\/p>\n Grossu told the outlet that Cristina had texted her \u201cWe\u2019re in trouble\u201d while on the flight.<\/p>\n \u201cShe texted me from the plane and she said, \u2018We\u2019re in trouble.\u2019 And that was it,\u201d Grossu told the outlet. \u201cSo we\u2019re devastated. We\u2019re brokenhearted.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Biffle known as regional hero<\/p>\n Biffle was a registered pilot<\/a> and used his helicopter to take supplies to Western North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in 2024.<\/p>\n He also became known for philanthropy, which focused on animal welfare through his Greg Biffle Foundation.<\/p>\n Congressman Richard Hudson called the Biffles \u201cfriends who lived their lives focused on helping others.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Denny Hamlin shares update after father\u2019s tragic death in house fire<\/p>\n <\/a> Heartbreaking final text from Greg Biffle\u2019s wife to her mom before plane crash revealed<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cGreg was a great NASCAR champion who thrilled millions of fans. But he was an extraordinary person as well, and will be remembered for his service to others as much as for his fearlessness on the track,\u201d Hudson posted on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Biffles flew hundreds of rescue missions in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.\u201d<\/p>\n Check out our sports section<\/a> for the latest news and analysis. Care for a wager? Head to our sports betting section<\/a> for news and odds.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links SportsMotorsports NASCAR great, his family and several others were killed in a fiery plane crash…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394366,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-394365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Greg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0108-Plane-Crash-Biffle-Auto-Racing.jpg\")
Greg Biffle holds his daughter, Emma, before a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2012. AP PhotoArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.3.0\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tsun.svg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"opening](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.3.0\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-sun-middaySun.svg\"\/){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n![\"Denny](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2244700681-e1767288969141.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Retired](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1220-greg-biffle-family.jpg\")
<\/p>\n