A public gathering for Greg Biffle, his family, and others who lost their lives in a plane crash at Statesville Regional Airport has been announced for mid-January in Charlotte. The event will take place on the morning of Jan. 16 at Bojangles Coliseum. The meeting is open to everyone and will also be streamed live online, according to NASCAR veteran journalist Bob Pockrass.
A small business jet, Cessna Citation 550, registered in Biffle’s name, crashed on Dec. 18 while it was trying to land at the airport in North Carolina. All seven people on board, including Biffle, his wife Cristina, his 14-year-old daughter Emma, and his five-year-old son Ryder, were killed.
Fox Sports’ Pockrass shared the details of the gathering on X, writing:
“A Gathering in Remembrance, honoring the lives lost in the Dec. 18 plane crash in Statesville, will be on the morning of January 16 at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte. The gathering, open to the public, will also be live-streamed. Additional details TBA.”
Biffle, who was 55 years old at the time of his death, would have turned 56 five days after the crash, Dec. 23. The 19-time NASCAR Cup Series winner was loved by fans for his skill on the track and for helping others off the track.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Biffle’s jet took off and then turned back toward the airport after about 10 minutes in the air, but it crashed short of the runway and caught fire. The wreckage was scattered near runway lights and trees before settling on the ground. The other three who died were Craig Wadsworth, Dennis Dutton, and his son, Jack Dutton.
Greg Biffle’s Daughter’s Memorial Service to be Held on January 4
The memorial service for Greg Biffle’s daughter, Emma, was also announced for Jan. 4 at 3 pm in Cornelius (Cain Center), North Carolina.
Emma was a student at Davidson Day School. Biffle shared her with his first wife, Nicole Lunders. The couple, who were married in 2007, separated after nine years together in 2016.
Meanwhile, the cause of the plane crash is yet to be determined. Federal investigators have recovered the black box, cockpit voice recorder (CVR), and other equipment from the wreckage and sent them to Washington, D.C. for analysis.
The NTSB says they have no record of a mayday or emergency call from the jet over radio frequencies before it hit the ground. However, they confirmed one exchange of an “emergency landing” from one of the passengers on the plane to an undisclosed family member.
A report on the cause of the tragic crash is expected towards the end of January 2026.
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