Donnie Wahlberg says he is thankful to be alive after a terrifying incident at a Las Vegas airport that saw a private jet carrying the actor and singer forced to abort its takeoff.
As per reports, the jet carrying the 57-year-old shot off the end of the runway and slammed into a fence at 11 a.m. local time on Sunday, October 18.
The plane, a Dassault Falcon 50, was supposed to be traveling from Harry Reid International Airport to Toronto. Wahlberg was said to be traveling with his team and friends, with eight people on board all told.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot aborted the takeoff, resulting in the jet running off Runway 1L and slamming into the airport’s perimeter fence.
Air traffic control audio shared online appears to capture a voice repeating “Aborting” as the drama unfolded. Moments later, controllers can be heard telling the crew that emergency vehicles were on their way.
No injuries have been reported, while a ground stop was put in place for the airport for several hours.
A few hours later, Wahlberg posted a video to his Instagram page, filmed outside with the damaged plane behind him. He explained in the clip that the jet ran out of runway before it could get off the ground.
Revealing that the plane had come close to several fences along the way, he said: “We didn’t avoid the last one.” He added that the plane had also missed trucks, heavy equipment and dumpsters.
“I’m just going to tell you these pilots saved our lives,” Donnie, the older brother of Mark Walhberg, said. “And God covered us.”
In the caption of his Instagram post, he wrote that the incident felt as if it lasted far longer than it actually did.
His wife, Jenny McCarthy, was quick to comment on the post with a message of thanks to God.
At the time of writing, the FAA is investigating what caused the pilots to abort takeoff. Aviation experts estimate the jet was moving at somewhere between 130 and 150 mph when the crew made the decision to stop.
The night before, Wahlberg had appeared on stage with New Kids on the Block, performing their residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM. He also shared a selfie from his seat on the plane shortly before the failed attempted takeoff.