Scare as Minnesota Vikings’ airplane compelled into emergency touchdown shortly after taking off
The Minnesota Vikings’ team plane was dramatically forced into an unplanned landing on Saturday afternoon, shortly after taking off in Minneapolis.
According to NFL Insider Tom Pelissero, the plane had mechanical issues and had to quickly return to Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. It was on the way to Newark, New Jersey for the the Vikings’ game against New York Giants on Sunday.
A team statement said on Saturday: ‘Shortly after departing, the team plane experienced mechanical issues that required a return to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
‘The team will board a second plane momentarily and is now expected to arrive at Newark International Airport later tonight.’
Team broadcaster Ben Leber said on Instagram that the plane’s landing gear hatch didn’t close after the plane took off. Isaiah Rodgers, a cornerback on the team, posted on social media that the team are ‘ok’ but offered no further details about the incident.
The team took off at 1:18pm on a Boeing 767 but Flight Radar showed how the plane turned around shortly after 2pm in Wisconsin and touched down back in Minneapolis at 3pm. The Vikings were still waiting on a replacement plane as of 6pm Central Time, as per ESPN.
The plane the Minnesota Vikings were flying on to Newark on was forced to turn around
JJ McCarthy and his Vikings team were back in Minneapolis as of Saturday afternoon
The Vikings added: ‘We are currently awaiting the arrival of a second plane and still intend to depart tonight.’
The kick off at 1pm ET on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium against the Giants, who are enduring a miserable 2-12 campaign.
The 6-8 Vikings aren’t faring too much better given that they are already out of playoff contention in a NFC North packed with talent.
But Sunday’s game is important for the development of their quarterback, JJ McCarthy, who is playing in his first proper season with the team. He missed the entirity of his rookie campaign with a knee injury sustained in camp last summer.
Coincidentally, the Vikings aren’t the only team who have been struggling with plane problems recently.
Earlier in the week, the Los Angeles Rams were ‘significantly delayed’ when they were trying to fly up the West Coast to Seattle for Thursday Night Football against the Seahawks.
A late equipment issue delayed the team shortly before they had planned to leave Los Angeles.
The Rams eventually left on a different flight two hours after they had initially planned. They would go on to lose the game 38-37 in overtime in on of the most dramatic matches of the season so far.
A Vikings’ broadcaster said that the landing hatch didn’t close after the plane took off
The Vikings were waiting for another plane to become available as of late Saturday afternoon
And in November, the Philadelphia Eagles were delayed getting to Wisconsin for their hugely anticipated Monday Night Football game against the Green Bay Packers.
It came at a time of widespread airport disruption due to the government shutdown. The Eagles eventually beat their fellow Super Bowl contenders 10-7 in an underwhelming game.
After Sunday’s game against the Giants, their final road game of the season, the Vikings round out their season with a Christmas Day showdown against divisional rivals Detroit Lions and a Jan. 4 game against another NFC North opponent in the Packers.
