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STATESVILLE, N.C — Neighbors are still shaken up after witnessing the fatal plane crash Thursday or the aftermath of it.
They live across the street from the Statesville Regional Airport where a plane crash killed seven, including NASCAR legend Greg Biffle and his immediate family.
One neighbor saw the accident as he was standing on the porch with his dog. He describes seeing the plane clip a tree before going down.
He shared his Ring camera video with Spectrum News 1 but didn’t want to be on camera or share his name publicly. However, he said as he watched the crash unfold, he realized he had watched passengers on the plane die.
Later, he found out his friend Craig Wadsworth was on the plane. Wadsworth is described as someone beloved in the NASCAR community.
Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace expressed heartbreak on social media sharing Wadsworth drove his motorhome for six years.
Chuck McCrary and his girlfriend Patricia Riggs heard the crash from their home across the street from the runway.
“[It sounded like] a big boom. I was like, ‘oh, a barrel just exploded.’ That’s what it sounded like in the house,” McCrary said.
The couple never imagined it was the sound of a plane crash when they stepped outside.
“We got to the front door and looked and saw ambulances and fire trucks and cops and smoke. I was like: ‘Oh man, that’s bad,’” McCrary said.
RELATED: Investigation starts into crash that killed Biffle
They were saddened to hear there were no survivors in the crash.
“It was close to Christmas, and I hate that happened,” Riggs said.
Friday investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were on site trying to determine the reason the plane returned to the airport and attempted to land 10 minutes after takeoff in cloudy and drizzly conditions.
Neighbors are still trying to process the situation within sight of their homes.
“I sent my prayers and thoughts to them, and this is a bad thing for family to go through. I’m sorry for the family.”
According to NTSB, the plane hit runway lights, trees and the airport perimeter fence before the crash.
Friday morning, investigators looked at wreckage from the plane and debris along a nearby golf course.
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Estephany Escobar
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