The plane that was flying the Carolina Panthers home from their preseason game against the New England Patriots on Thursday came off the runway at Charlotte Douglas Airport early Friday morning.
The Delta-chartered flight with players and staff on board slid into the mud while taxiing after landing at about 2:35 a.m., according to ESPN’s David Newton. No one was injured in the incident, both the team and the airport said, and airfield lights and the runway were fully operational. It’s unclear what caused the incident.
About three hours later, Delta towed the plane out of the area, and a bus took about an hour to transport the team from the plane to the airfield.
“The right main landing gear of Delta 8860 departed the taxiway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport following a normal landing,” Delta said in a statement, via ESPN. “No injuries were reported among the 188 passengers who deplaned from the aircraft and were bused to the terminal. We apologize to our passengers for the inconvenience.”
The Patriots cruised to a commanding 17-3 victory over the Panthers on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium as quarterback Drake Maye made his debut for New England. Kevin Harris scored a 2-yard touchdown for the Patriots in the second quarter, and then JaQuae Jackson caught a 38-yard pass from Joe Milton in the fourth quarter, increasing their lead to 17 points. The Panthers didn’t score until the final two minutes on a 41-yard field goal by Harrison Mevis.
The Panthers, who finished 2-15 last season and missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year, will open the regular season on Sept. 8 against the New Orleans Saints.
