Donnie Wahlberg spoke out after his private jet skidded off a Las Vegas runway, saying divine intervention and skilled pilots saved the eight people on board.
The New Kids on the Block singer, 55, posted an emotional video to Instagram on Sunday recounting how the Dassault Falcon 50 failed to get airborne during takeoff at Harry Reid International Airport. Wahlberg was departing Las Vegas after wrapping a 40-show residency with his group at the venue.
“We were taking off and didn’t get up in the air, and ran out of runway,” Wahlberg said in the Instagram video. “I’m just going to tell you these pilots saved our lives. And God covered us.”
The aircraft, tail number N200SG, was bound for Toronto Pearson Airport in Canada when the incident occurred at approximately 11 a.m. Sunday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA confirmed that eight people were on board at the time.
Wahlberg expressed gratitude that the outcome was not more severe, describing how the jet narrowly missed ground equipment before striking the airport’s perimeter fence.
“I’m not sure how many fences we avoided, but we didn’t avoid the last one,” he continued in the video. “But we avoided those trucks and heavy equipment and the dumpsters behind that.”
The “Blue Bloods” actor added, “God is good.”
Flight-tracking data shared on social media by Red Wave Press showed the jet moving slowly from its taxi position, turning onto Runway 1L, then continuing past the end of the pavement. The aircraft veered right before coming to a complete stop, with airport representatives confirming it struck the perimeter fence.
Wahlberg noted that while the plane sustained damage, the passengers escaped injury. “The plane did take some lumps –– but we did not,” he said in the Instagram post.
The singer was traveling with friends and members of his team, according to his account. The incident came just one day after New Kids on the Block — Wahlberg, Danny Wood, Joey McIntyre, Jonathan Knight and Jordan Knight — concluded “The Right Stuff” residency with its final show on Saturday night.
The group had performed 40 shows over the course of the residency at the Las Vegas venue. The outlet first reported that Wahlberg had been in the city for the engagement.