NEW YORK, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Seven people were killed Thursday after a small jet crashed at a regional airport in Statesville, U.S. state of North Carolina, police said.

According to the police, among those killed in the crash were former NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) driver Greg Biffle, his wife and two children.

The Cessna C550 jet crashed at around 10:20 a.m. Eastern Time while landing at the airport and triggered a large fire, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, the plane took off from the airport shortly after 10 a.m. but then returned and attempted to land there.

Video footage showed first responders rushing onto the runway as scattered wreckage from the plane was engulfed in fire.

John Ferguson, Statesville Regional Airport manager, told reporters that the FAA was taking over the crash scene. "The airport now is closed until further notice. It will take some time to get the debris off the runway, to get it safe again," he said.

The FAA said the agency and the National Transportation Safety Board are launching an investigation into the accident. ■