The pilot of the deadly plane crash in North Carolina that killed former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family has not been identified more than 24 hours later, officials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Friday. 

NTSB board member Michael Graham spoke to the media about the preliminary findings of its investigation into Thursday’s crash that killed all seven people aboard a flight headed to the Bahamas. 

According to Graham, three people aboard the Cessna C550 were licensed pilots but officials were not able verify as of Friday who was piloting the flight. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM 

“This is the beginning of very long process and we will not jump to any conclusions while on scene here in North Carolina nor will we jump to any conclusions,” Graham said of the entirety of the investigation

The plane was owned by GB Aviation Leasing LLC, according to federal aviation records. The company is owned by Biffle, who was rated to fly helicopters and single and multi-engine planes.

Biffle, 55, was killed alongside his wife, Cristina, and children Ryder, 5, and Emma, 14. Three other people killed onboard were identified as Dennis Dutton, his son Jack, and Craig Wadsworth.

Greg Biffle celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, on Oct. 3, 2010. (Orlin Wagner, File/AP Photo)

RACING WORLD REMEMBERS FORMER NASCAR DRIVER GREG BIFFLE AFTER DEADLY PLANE CRASH

The seven-person flight was making its way to the Bahamas via Sarasota, Florida, when it crashed at Statesville Regional Airport, about 45 miles north of Charlotte. NTSB Investigator-In-Charge Dan Baker said the plane took off at approximately 10:05 a.m. ET and began to turn back to the airport five minutes after take off. 

The plane crashed roughly 10 minutes after departure.

Officials did not provide a cause and noted that weather conditions were relatively calm despite light rain. Graham said a preliminary report would be released in 30 days and full investigation could take anywhere between 12–18 months before a final report is released. 

Greg Biffle is introduced during driver introductions before a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on July 5, 2015. (Terry Renna, File/AP Photo)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP 

According to officials, the plane’s black box was recovered from the crash scene and is en route to Washington, D.C., where it will be analyzed.

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.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has backed Viktor Gyökeres to take his game to another level in the second half of the season.

The 27-year-old has scored just six goals in 19 appearances across all competitions and attracted criticism for his peripheral display in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Wolves.

Ahead of Saturday’s trip to Everton, Arteta was asked to assess Gyökeres’ first few months at the club following a €73 million ($85.5m) summer move from Sporting Lisbon.

“The level of attention on him hasn’t changed since when he signed to today,” Arteta said. “It is normal. Everybody was so excited to bring a nine into the club. We did it. We brought a player with an incredible goalscoring record who had to adapt to the league. He had no preseason.

“The first few weeks were difficult because physically he wasn’t in his best state and he is a player who needs that like any other player in this league almost to perform at that level. Then he kicked on, he had a really good period and he got injured.

“Now, I saw a lot of positive things in the last two games that he’s done. We need to continue to tweak and understand him a little bit better in certain situations and he needs to do the same. But that’s about time and we have full support for him.”

– Man City monitor Antoine Semenyo amid £65m clause – sources
– Mikel Arteta warns Arsenal after escaping with late win vs. Wolves

Pushed on whether the best was yet to come for Gyökeres, Arteta replied: “I think so, yes. You can imagine the global impact that you are going to have to deal with when you come to a big club and the expectation is as it is.

“But after you have to live it. Living it is always slightly different to your imagination. He is doing it with a lot of desire. His energy level, his commitment is absolutely top and we are all here to help him because we have all been here, we all need time, there are always moments where the strikers score more goals or less goals. We need to be there for him.”

Arteta confirmed Ben White is out for “a few games” with a hamstring injury while Gabriel Magalhães is “pushing hard” for a return to action following a groin problem.

Kai Havertz is also nearing a return from a knee problem but Arteta refused to reveal the target date for his comeback.

“I don’t want to say because especially after such a long time after the rehab, I think we need to be cautious and we need to go really firmly with every step that we take along the way to make sure that when he’s back, he’s back and he’s back for the long term,” Arteta said.

“He’s progressing really well and quite fast in the last few weeks. We are really positive that if everything continues like that in the next training sessions, he’s going to be with us.”

The 2025 NCAA women’s volleyball championship runs from Dec. 18-21 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Texas A&M will face off against Kentucky in the final.

In 2024, Penn State defeated Louisville to take home the title. Stanford has the most all-time championships, with nine titles to its name. Penn State takes second place with eight, followed by Nebraska in third with five.

Check out the all-time winners list for the NCAA women’s volleyball championship below:

2024: Penn State

2023: Texas

2022: Texas

2021: Wisconsin

2020: Kentucky

2019: Stanford

2018: Stanford

2017: Nebraska

2016: Stanford

2015: Nebraska

2014: Penn State

2013: Penn State

2012: Texas

2011: UCLA

2010: Penn State

2009: Penn State

2008: Penn State

2007: Penn State

2006: Nebraska

2005: Washington

2004: Stanford

2003: Southern California

2002: Southern California

2001: Stanford

2000: Nebraska

1999: Penn State

1998: Long Beach State

1997: Stanford

1996: Stanford

1995: Nebraska

1994: Stanford

1993: Long Beach State

1992: Stanford

1991: UCLA

1990: UCLA

1989: Long Beach State

1988: Texas

1987: Hawai’i

1986: Pacific

1985: Pacific

1984: UCLA

1983: Hawai’i

1982: Hawai’i

1981: Southern California

For more NCAA updates, check out the ESPN hub page with scores, rankings and more.