A private jet carrying actor and singer Donnie Wahlberg and seven others skidded off a runway and struck a perimeter fence at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, on Sunday morning, according to the airport and Wahlberg himself.
Wahlberg was leaving Las Vegas after performing in a New Kids on the Block concert when the incident occurred during departure.
The airport confirmed the event in a statement: “At approximately 11 a.m., upon departure, a general aviation aircraft skid off runway 1L at LAS and made contact with the perimeter fence. There are no known injuries at this time.”
Wahlberg described the moments after the plane failed to get airborne in a video posted to social media, saying the aircraft ran out of runway before it could lift off and came close to hitting trucks and heavy equipment on the ground.
“We’re all okay. I’m okay. We were taking off and didn’t get up in the air and ran out of runway. I’m just going to tell you these pilots saved our lives. God covered us. I’m not sure how many fences we avoided, we didn’t avoid the last one.”
He said the incident unfolded quickly but felt longer than it was. “It was a rather intense few moments, which felt like a few long minutes,” Wahlberg wrote in his post.
In a caption accompanying the video, Wahlberg credited the flight crew and first responders for averting a worse outcome.
“Thankful to God, of course, and to our incredible pilots who did an amazing job of keeping us safe and avoiding a serious disaster. The airplane did take some lumps — but we did not.”
He also thanked emergency personnel who responded on the ground. “Thank you to all the emergency personnel on the ground in Las Vegas! You all were absolutely wonderful,” he wrote. “All glory to God! By His grace, we are all ok.”
Wahlberg said he made the video initially for friends and family who had reached out with concern after news of the incident spread, before deciding to share it more broadly. “I appreciate your concern and well wishes,” he wrote. “Yes, it was me and my team/friends onboard the aircraft.”
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