The Panthers players were returning from a pre-season showdown with the New England Patriots
A chartered plane carrying Carolina Panthers members skidded off the runway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport shortly after landing on Friday morning.
Delta Flight 88860 departed from Providence, Rhode Island, around midnight and arrived in North Carolina at approximately 2:35 a.m., as reported by WCNC.
During the landing, the front right gear veered off the taxiway and became stuck in muddy terrain.
“The plane, Delta Flight 8860, landed on runway 36R near Billy Graham Parkway around 2:35 a.m., then moved off the taxiway into the mud,” the airline informed the Associated Press.
Witnesses stated that emergency vehicles rushed to the scene after the aircraft slipped off the runway.
Delta Airlines confirmed that all 188 passengers were unharmed due to the incident.
“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” the airline stated.
The Panthers also released a statement regarding the occurrence.
“The team confirms that their chartered plane safely landed but ran off the taxiway into mud. No injuries have been reported,” the statement noted.
Passengers exited the plane and were transported to a nearby terminal while crews worked to free the aircraft.
The Panthers were returning after a pre-season game against the New England Patriots, which they lost 17-3.
The team has taken Friday off and will restart practice over the weekend.
The Panthers weren’t the only ones who faced a turbulent flight that night. Just hours before their incident, an American Airlines flight from Tampa Bay to Charlotte encountered severe turbulence, injuring four flight attendants, according to WBTV.
American Airlines Flight 2905 landed safely at Charlotte Douglas International after the turbulence, and the injured flight attendants were taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
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