The early hours of Friday morning didn’t go exactly as planned for the Carolina Panthers, who experienced some troubles on the trip back home from their preseason opener. But luckily, and quite evidently, they’re all safe and sound.
Following its arrival into Charlotte Douglas International Airport at approximately 2:41 a.m. ET, a Delta flight carrying team players, coaches and staff members slid off a taxiway and into mud. Both Delta and the Panthers have since confirmed that the plane did land safely and that no injuries were reported.
In fact, the slide came as a surprise to those who were actually on board . . .
A Panthers spokesperson confirmed everyone on the team charter was OK and uninjured this morning. According to spokesperson, some staff members didn't realize there had been an issue until noticing emergency vehicles and media.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) August 9, 2024
One of the 188 passengers on Delta 8860 was safety Xavier Woods, who had this to post on Twitter/X later in the morning:
Vouchers?? https://t.co/DmPRU5dLEL
— Xavier Woods (@its_hollyWOODS) August 9, 2024
The Panthers, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, gave the following statement regarding the incident:
“The team can confirm that their chartered team plane, after landing safely, did run off the taxiway and into mud. The team can also confirm that no injuries were reported and no one was hurt.”
Delta also issued some words:
“The right main gear of Delta 8860 exited the taxiway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport following a normal arrival. No injuries were reported by the 188 customers who are deplaning and being bused to the terminal. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
So, uh, when can they expect those vouchers . . . ?
