Retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family are among the seven confirmed dead after a plane crash on Thursday near Statesville, North Carolina.

Former racing car driver Greg Biffle and members of his family were among seven people who died in a plane crash in North Carolina, state police said.

Six people were aboard the Cessna C550 aircraft when it crashed at Statesville Regional Airport around 10:20 local time (15:20GMT), aviation officials investigating the incident told reporters.