The Carolina Panthers, a professional football team, faced an unforeseen challenge after their preseason match against the New England Patriots in Foxborough. The team’s journey back to North Carolina was abruptly halted when their plane veered off the taxiway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport early Friday morning, as per an insider from the league.
The aircraft, ferrying Panthers players and staff, was on its way to the terminal when it deviated from the taxiway and became stationary. This required the passengers to exit the plane using stairs and then be transported to the terminal via shuttle. The airport authorities verified that the airfield lighting and the taxiway were in full working order at the time of the incident.
The exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined. However, the area had been subjected to heavy rainfall and power outages due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby earlier in the day. It remains to be seen whether these weather conditions contributed to the incident.
The Panthers organization confirmed on Friday that their team charter was involved in the incident. They reassured that all coaches, staff, and players were on the plane and that there were no injuries.
Delta Airlines, the flight’s carrier, released a statement confirming that there were 188 passengers on board when the right main gear of the plane exited the taxiway. The airline’s spokesperson reported no injuries and stated that all passengers were safely transported to the terminal by bus. However, the airline did not specifically mention the Panthers as part of the passenger count.
The plane was later removed from the scene. Panthers safety Xavier Woods humorously responded to a social media post about the incident, asking, “Vouchers??” The Panthers were returning from a preseason game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., where they suffered a 17-3 loss.