Donnie Wahlberg Aboard Private Jet That Skids Off Las Vegas Runway and Hits Fence
A private jet carrying New Kids on the Block singer Donnie Wahlberg skidded off a runway and hit a fence at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport on Sunday, October 18. Thankfully, all eight people aboard escaped injury.
The jet was a Dassault Falcon 50 scheduled to fly to Toronto Pearson Airport in Canada. In a statement from the airport, officials said it skidded off Runway 1L around 11 a.m. and struck the perimeter fence.
Wahlberg had performed with New Kids on the Block at their final Las Vegas residency show the night before. On Sunday, he posted a video on Instagram confirming he was on the plane with members of his team and friends.
He said the jet never actually got off the ground during the attempted takeoff. Instead, it ran out of runway and ended up against a fence near several pieces of heavy equipment.
Donnie Wahlberg Says Pilots Saved Everyone on Board
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Wahlberg wasn’t sure how many fences the plane had missed before hitting the last one. He pointed out the trucks, dumpsters and other equipment that the pilots had also managed to avoid. He said everyone had just finished praying when he looked out the window. “We are not getting up in the air today,” he recalled saying.
“These pilots saved our lives,” Wahlberg added. He had made the video for family and friends but decided to post it on Instagram after getting messages from people checking on him.
In his caption, he thanked the emergency workers in Las Vegas for their help. Before ending the video, he reassured everyone that he was okay and told them not to worry.
Las Vegas Airport Closes Two Runways After Crash
Runways 1L and 1R were closed while crews checked for damage. The airport warned people traveling Sunday that they could run into delays because of the incident.
The FAA’s October 18 operations advisory confirmed that Las Vegas was under a ground stop because of an aircraft emergency. The agency planned to switch to a ground delay program as flights resumed.
According to FOX5 Las Vegas, FlightAware showed approximately 330 delayed flights Sunday afternoon. The outlet also reported that flights heading to Las Vegas were facing average delays of about an hour and 10 minutes.
Both runways reopened later Sunday, and the FAA lifted the ground stop. The agency is investigating what happened during the attempted takeoff, but hasn’t announced a cause.
