A private jet carrying Donnie Wahlberg aborted takeoff Sunday morning at Harry Reid International Airport, ran off the end of the runway and struck a perimeter fence. The FAA is now investigating how a cleared departure turned into a runway excursion with eight people on board.
Wahlberg said later that he was praying after the close call. He was one of eight people aboard the Dassault Falcon 50, and no injuries were reported after the jet ended up beyond the runway boundary.
The incident unfolded at 10:50 a.m. Sunday after the aircraft had already been cleared for takeoff. Audio from air traffic control captured the Falcon 50 being given clearance and then the tower realizing it was not airborne, before asking, “7 sierra golf... You okay?” The crew answered, “Aborting, aborting.”
Reed Yadon, a pilot and aviation expert, said the aircraft likely was moving at close to 150 miles an hour when the crew stopped the takeoff. He said investigators will look at mechanical issues and human factors, and will review training records, maintenance records, the cockpit voice recorder and security cameras from Harry Reid. Yadon said it was a fast stop and added that, in the scheme of things, the response was textbook.
That clean ending is at odds with the unanswered question at the center of the investigation: why the crew aborted in the first place. The FAA has not said what caused the decision, even as airport operations were disrupted, a passenger jet that had been cleared to land was waved off and a ground stop was put in place.
The jet remained on the other side of the airport’s perimeter fence after the incident, and the fence had already been repaired. For now, the federal review is the next step, and it is the one that has to explain how a cleared departure at Harry Reid International Airport turned into a near miss on the ground.
