ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Long after the roar of stock cars faded from his life, Greg Biffle became something else to many North Carolinians: a pilot who showed up when roads were gone, phones were dead and help felt impossibly far away.

That work ended tragically Thursday, when a business jet carrying the retired NASCAR driver, his wife, their two children and three others crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all seven people aboard, authorities said.

The Cessna C550 went down while attempting to return to Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. The aircraft erupted into a large fire upon impact.

Biffle, 55, was traveling with his wife, Cristina Grossu Biffle, 35, and their children, Emma, 14, and Ryder, 5. Also killed were Dennis Dutton, 67; his son, Jack Dutton, 20; and Craig Wadsworth, 62, authorities said.

In a joint statement, the Biffle, Grossu and Dutton families said each of the victims “meant everything to us,” adding that their absence leaves “an immeasurable void.”

While Biffle was known nationally as a 19-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, he earned a different reputation in Western North Carolina following Tropical Storm Helene, which cut off entire mountain communities last year.

Using his helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, Biffle flew repeated humanitarian missions into hard-hit areas, delivering food, water, medical supplies and communications equipment to residents and first responders stranded by washed-out roads and collapsed bridges. Law enforcement agencies and volunteer fire departments credited him with helping restore emergency communications by rapidly delivering Starlink satellite units to isolated command posts.

The Asheville Police Department said Biffle coordinated the delivery of eight Starlink units by helicopter within hours of an urgent request, later providing additional units to support recovery operations.

“The swift actions and generosity of the Biffle family exemplified the very best of civic partnership,” the department said in a statement. “They directly enhanced the safety and coordination of first responders during a time of crisis.”

Volunteer fire departments across Buncombe, Yancey and surrounding counties echoed those sentiments, recalling Biffle’s visits to fire stations, where he brought supplies and encouragement, often downplaying his role.

“Greg Biffle and family came to our station with gifts for our responders to make their tasks a little easier,” Chief Thomas J. Kelly of the Riceville Volunteer Fire Department wrote in a social media post. The department later named Biffle an honorary chief.

The Yancey County Sheriff’s Office said Biffle’s impact during and after the storm “will not be forgotten.”

Federal investigators are expected to examine the wreckage as part of the crash investigation. The cause of the accident has not yet been determined.

For many in the mountains he helped, Biffle’s legacy now extends well beyond racing trophies or statistics.

“To the folks here,” said one community member, “he was a lifeline.”