Donnie Wahlberg Survives Plane Runway Skid at Las Vegas Airport

Actor Donnie Wahlberg and seven other passengers escaped uninjured when a Dassault Falcon 50 jet skidded off Runway 1L at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas during a failed takeoff at approximately 10:50 a.m. local time on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and fox5vegas.com.

Private Jet Crashes Through Fence and Halts Airport Operations

The private aircraft was departing from the Las Vegas hub on a scheduled flight bound for Toronto Pearson Airport when the incident occurred. According to the FAA and fox5vegas.com, the pilot aborted the takeoff sequence, causing the jet to run out of runway pavement and collide with a perimeter fence. The accident triggered an immediate response from local emergency personnel on the tarmac and forced federal aviation officials to issue a temporary ground stop for the entire facility. Two airport runways, designated as 1R and 1L, were shut down immediately to allow safety inspectors to examine the grounds and clear debris.

Donnie Wahlberg Accounts for the Incident on Social Media

Wahlberg addressed the accident in a video posted to his Instagram account on Sunday night, confirming his presence on board alongside his team and friends. Globalnews.ca reported that the New Kids on the Block singer was returning from the final performance of the band’s residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM, which took place on Saturday night.

These pilots saved our lives and God covered us because we were — I’m not sure how many fences we avoided but we didn’t avoid the last one but we avoided those trucks and heavy equipment and the dumpsters behind that.

Wahlberg described the event as an intense experience that lasted for several minutes. In the accompanying caption to his video, the actor expressed gratitude toward the flight crew for preventing a major catastrophe.

Thankful to God, of course, and to our incredible pilots who did an amazing job of keeping us safe and avoiding a serious disaster. The airplane did take some lumps — but we did not.

Flight Delays and Resumption of Airport Operations

While safety inspections were underway, departing flights slated to leave for Harry Reid International Airport experienced delays averaging one hour and ten minutes, as tracked by the FAA. Airport authorities advised travelers to verify specific flight statuses directly with their respective airlines. The ground stop was lifted later in the day after municipal and federal inspectors cleared runways 1R and 1L for normal traffic operations. There were no reported injuries among the eight occupants on the private jet, and federal investigators have opened a formal probe into the exact mechanical or operational factors that caused the aircraft to overshoot the runway.