By GARY D. ROBERTSON, Associated Press

STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Federal investigators sifting through the wreckage of a business jet that crashed in North Carolina and killed retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his family, and three others are trying to figure out who was flying the plane and what caused it to return to the airport soon after takeoff.

The Cessna C550 erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground Thursday, about a third of a mile from the airport’s runway, killing all seven on board.

It had departed Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte, but crashed less than 10 minutes later while trying to return and land, authorities said.

Flight records show the plane was registered to a company run by Biffle. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were at the airport, attempting to determine the cause of the crash and why the plane had returned to the airport in drizzle and cloudy conditions.

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Investigators recovered the cockpit voice recorder. They were not aware of any emergency calls from the jet, NTSB member Michael Graham said at a Friday news conference.

There were three pilots on board. Federal Aviation Administration records show Biffle was rated to fly helicopters, and single- and multi-engine planes. Also on board was pilot Dennis Dutton, Dutton’s son, Jack — who had a private pilot’s license for single-engine planes — and Biffle’s friend Craig Wadsworth.

Biffle’s wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14, were also killed in the crash, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said.

“Each of them meant everything to us, and their absence leaves an immeasurable void in our lives,” the joint family statement said.

Cristina Biffle’s mother told People magazine that her daughter sent her a text message saying, “We’re in trouble,” before she didn’t hear from her again.

Greg Biffle, 55, won more than 50 races across NASCAR’s three circuits, including 19 at the Cup Series level. He also won the Trucks Series championship in 2000 and the Xfinity Series title in 2002.

NASCAR called Biffle “a beloved member of the NASCAR community, a fierce competitor, and a friend to so many.”

“His passion for racing, his integrity, and his commitment to fans and fellow competitors alike made a lasting impact on the sport,” NASCAR said.

A memorial with flowers sprouted up Friday by Biffle’s marble star in his hometown of Mooresville, honoring him as a member of the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

In 2024, Biffle was honored for his humanitarian efforts after Hurricane Helene struck the U.S., even using his personal helicopter to deliver aid to flooded, remote western North Carolina.

“The last time I spoke with Cristina, just a couple of weeks ago, she reached out to ask how she could help with relief efforts in Jamaica. That’s who the Biffles were,” U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican from North Carolina, said.

Wadsworth was Biffle’s friend and helped him with odd jobs, including delivering supplies to places hit by Hurricane Helene, roommate Benito Howell said.

“He didn’t know how to say no,” Howell said of Wadsworth, who had worked for several NASCAR teams. “He loved everybody. He always tried to help everybody.”

The joint family statement also spoke about Dutton and his son Jack, saying they were “deeply loved as well, and their loss is felt by all who knew them.”

The Statesville airport remained closed Friday while the NTSB performed its investigation, a city spokesperson said.

Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed; Jenna Fryer in Charlotte, North Carolina; Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Ed White in Detroit; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this story.

Handsome Hog, the Cathedral Hill restaurant that was formerly tied to disgraced celebrity chef Justin Sutherland, will close at the end of the year.

The eatery and bar, which opened in 2016 in Lowertown with Sutherland at the helm, moved to its current spot on Western and Selby avenues in 2020.

The restaurant has focused on southern-style cooking for its nearly 10 years of operations. Its closure was announced with a post on social media. It read as follows:

“Hello everyone, it is with heavy hearts that we share this unfortunate news. After nearly a decade, The Handsome Hog will be closing its doors for good by December 30th.

“To our amazing guests—we would like to thank you all for your support over the years. You have brought us so much joy and we truly appreciate being a small part of your lives.

“To our staff, both past and present—we couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. Your contribution has made this such a special place to work, and a staple in St. Paul.

“From our little corner in Lowertown, to our corner on Cathedral Hill, there’s no doubt that we’ve shared many great moments together and a substantial amount of some damn good Bourbon.

“So this is last call, we’d love to serve you at ‘The Hog’ one last time. Please join us now through December 30. What can we get you?”

Sutherland rose to fame after appearing on “Iron Chef America” and making it to the top five in season 16 of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef.” He left the restaurant in 2024, prior to his arrest and conviction for felony charges related to threatening his girlfriend with a gun. Sutherland and said girlfriend have since moved to Los Angeles.

Handsome Hog: 173 N. Western Ave., St. Paul; 651-219-4013; handsomehog.com

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One of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s daughters said she experienced an “absurdly invasive” pat-down Thursday at an airport security checkpoint and suggested her father would limit or eliminate the Transportation Security Administration if it was under his authority.

Evita Duffy-Alfonso said on the social platform X that she nearly missed her flight after opting out of a body scan because she said she is pregnant and concerned about radiation exposure. She said she waited 15 minutes for a pat-down and that TSA agents were “rude” and “tried to pressure” her into walking through the scanner.

“All this for an unconstitutional agency that isn’t even good at its job,” she said.

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TSA said in a statement Friday it is aware of Duffy-Alfonso’s complaint.

“TSA takes complaints about airport security screening procedures seriously and investigates complaints thoroughly to ensure the correct procedures are applied,” the agency said.

In another post, Duffy-Alfonso said her father would “radically limit” or “lobby Congress to abolish” TSA if it was under his control.

Duffy’s Department of Transportation controls the Federal Aviation Administration and is charged with setting and enforcing safety regulations for all major modes of transportation, including air travel. But TSA is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

TSA is responsible for screening passengers, bags and cargo for weapons or explosives. It was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“The ‘golden age of transportation’ cannot begin until the TSA is gone,” Duffy-Alfonso said, a reference to her father’s broad campaign to make travel more family friendly and revive what he calls “the golden age of travel,” including a recent push encouraging passengers to dress more formally while flying.

The Transportation Department declined Friday to comment on Duffy-Alfonso’s complaints about TSA.

In a follow-up post on X, Duffy-Alfonso clarified that she supports President Donald Trump and Homeland Security, “but there needs to be more common sense around how we treat Americans exercising their right to travel,” she said.

According to TSA, passengers can request a private screening as an alternative to the body scanner. The agency warns on its website that “sufficient pressure must be applied in order to ensure detection” because a “pat-down screening is conducted to determine whether prohibited items are concealed under clothing.”

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge Friday voided the conviction of one of the two men found guilty of the 2002 killing of Run-D.M.C. star Jam Master Jay, ruling that there wasn’t enough evidence that the man had a motive to kill the hip-hop luminary.

Nearly two years after a jury delivered its verdict, the decision came from the same Brooklyn federal judge who presided over the trial. In Friday’s ruling, U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall granted Karl Jordan Jr. an acquittal on the murder charges.

An eyewitness testified that he saw Jordan shoot the pioneering DJ — his own godfather — in his Queens recording studio on Oct. 30, 2002. But Jordan’s lawyers had argued that the evidence didn’t support prosecutors’ claims that he killed Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, as revenge for a failed drug deal.

“We are really happy for Mr. Jordan and his family that justice was served,” one of his attorneys, John Diaz, said in an email. Jordan had not yet been sentenced on the murder charges, but remains behind bars awaiting trial on drug charges from many years after the killing.

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A message seeking comment was sent to prosecutors.

Separately, the judge denied co-defendant Ronald Washington’s bid for an acquittal or a new trial.

Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, worked the turntables in Run-D.M.C. as the group helped hip-hop break into the pop music mainstream in the 1980s with such hits as “It’s Tricky” and a fresh take on Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”

His killing became one of the hip-hop world’s most elusive cases.