Retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, 55, his wife Cristina and their children were on the business jet that crashed Thursday at a regional airport in North Carolina, Rep. Richard Hudson said. The couple shared a daughter, Emma, and son, Ryder.

"They were friends who lived their lives focused on helping others," Hudson wrote on X. "Greg 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."

Garrett Mitchell, a race car driver and YouTuber, said Biffle and his family had boarded the Cessna to "spend the afternoon" with him. "We are devastated," Mitchell wrote in a Facebook post.

A NASCAR veteran who first drew attention in the league in 1995, Biffle went on to have a decorated racing career and was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers, according to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, to which Biffle also received a nomination.

"I can confirm there were fatalities," Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said earlier Thursday, though he declined to say how many.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the crash alongside the National Transportation Safety Board, told CBS News that there were six people on the plane. It was not immediately known whether anyone survived, CBS affiliate WBTV reported.

The Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 a.m. Thursday, according to the FAA. A picture of the plane showed it engulfed in a large fire.

Flight tracking records show that a Cessna 550 that departed from Statesville Regional Airport just after 10 a.m. is owned by a private North Carolina company, according to WBTV. The private company is affiliated with Biffle, the station reported, citing business records.

Authorities have not yet reported who was on the plane when it crashed.

In a social media post, the airport confirmed there was an "aircraft incident" and said the FAA was en route to investigate. The airport is closed under further notice, said airport director John Ferguson. 

Ferguson said it would "take some time to get the debris off the runway to get it safe again." He added that the airport had no information about what caused the crash. AccuWeather said there were clouds and some drizzle at the time.

The airport says on its website that Statesville Regional Airport, which is about 45 minutes north of Charlotte, provides corporate aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and several NASCAR teams. 

Golfers playing next to the airport were shocked as they witnessed the disaster, even dropping to the ground at the Lakewood Golf Club while the plane was overhead. The ninth hole was covered with debris.

"We were like, 'Oh my gosh! That's way too low,'" said Joshua Green of Mooresville. "It was scary."

A flight path available on FlightAware, a flight tracking website, appears to show that the plane departed then looped back toward the airport.

The plane had planned to fly later from Sarasota, Florida, to Treasure Cay International Airport in the Bahamas before returning to Fort Lauderdale and then back to Statesville by the evening, according to data posted by FlightAware. 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.