Delta flight carrying Panthers players slides off runway hours after preseason loss to Patriots
The Carolina Panthers were aboard a Delta Air Lines flight returning to North Carolina following their first preseason game of the season when the plane slid off the runway early Friday.
A Delta Air Lines flight reportedly carrying the Carolina Panthers slid off the runway early Friday morning after touching down in Charlotte, North Carolina, just hours after the team’s first preseason game against the New England Patriots.
Delta Flight 8860 landed at Charlotte Douglas International just after 2:30 a.m. when the plane slid off the runway and into the mud, WCNC reported.
The plane, which had been flying out of Providence, Rhode Island, just before 1 a.m., was carrying players, coaches and staff members of the Panthers organization, a source confirmed to Fox News Digital.
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Delta provided a statement confirming that none of the 188 passengers on board suffered any injuries as a result of the incident.
"The right main gear of Delta 8860 exited the taxiway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport following a normal arrival," the statement, via WSOC read. "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."
The Panthers declined to comment outside of Delta’s statement when reached for comment.
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The Panthers were returning to North Carolina after their first preseason game of the 2024 NFL season.
They suffered a 17-3 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in a game with most starters sidelined. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, the top pick of the 2023 draft, didn’t play. The only three starters to see any action on Thursday night were wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, outside linebacker DJ Johnson, and cornerback Dane Jackson.
It was also the Panthers' first game under new head coach Dave Canales.
"Tonight was about our first-time guys, the rookies, the guys that haven’t had a chance to play in the NFL. I think what they found tonight is: it’s just football. They ran, and they played hard," Canales said after the game.
"For me, it was just a great opportunity to be able to talk to the coaches, talk to the officials. . . . It was just great reps for me to just get the flow of how the communication happens and being able to work all through that."
The Panthers will host the New York Jets in their next preseason game on Aug. 17.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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