Plane carrying Carolina Panthers NFL players skids off runway in terrifying scenes at Charlotte Douglas Airport
- The plane landed shortly after 2:30 a.m. and overshot the runway in Charlotte
- Players were held on the plane for over an hour before being allowed to disembark
Carolina Panthers players narrowly escaped serious injury in terrifying scenes at Charlotte Douglas Airport Friday morning when their plane skidded off the runway.
The team was flying back from their preseason opener against the New England Patriots, their Delta Airlines plane landing around 2:40 a.m.
Upon arrival, the plane skidded off the taxiway, requiring emergency services to arrive quickly.
At around 3:45 a.m. the stairs were dragged to the plane and the players and staff were allowed to disembark. All passengers were uninjured.
Delta reported in a statement to local media that the landing gear on the right side of the plane left the taxiway after a normal landing.
A Delta plane resembling the one that carries the Panthers players sits at Charlotte Douglas Airport
A few hours earlier, the Panthers had lost to the Patriots in an exhibition game in New England
The Panthers finished the game Thursday night and flew straight back to Carolina
There were 188 passengers on board the flight, including both players and staff from the NFL team Carolina Panthers.
In the game in New England, the Panthers lost 17-3 to start the 2024 season.
The team is hoping that Friday morning’s terrifying scenes are not a harbinger of what is to come on the field this season, as they have had a horrific 2-15 year.
The Panthers have a new coach for 2024 in Dave Canales and will restart the season with Bryce Young at quarterback.
Their top pick in the 2024 draft was 22-year-old wide receiver from South Carolina, Xavier Legette, and running back Jonathon Brooks was also selected in the second round out of Texas.