Amy Jo Johnson has spoken about the frightening moments she experienced when a private aircraft carrying her, actor and singer Donnie Wahlberg, and six other people skidded off a runway in Las Vegas, leaving the group grateful to have escaped without injuries.
The Power Rangers star, 56, reflected on the unsettling experience in an Instagram post recounting what had initially been an enjoyable weekend centered on music, friendship and a New Kids on the Block concert. What began with a celebration of Wahlberg’s performance ended with a plane incident that Johnson described as a “very hairy” situation.
Despite the frightening turn of events, Johnson confirmed that everyone in the group was safe. Her message conveyed relief and gratitude, with the actress emphasizing just how differently the day might have ended.
“It was an eventful weekend. That’s for sure,” Johnson wrote in her Instagram caption, according to HELLO!, which reported on her account of the incident. “Watching the incredible @donniewahlberg and his mates crush it in their last show in Vegas. And then surviving a very hairy plane situation. But we did. And I’m grateful and very happy to be alive!”
Her words offered a personal perspective on an incident that also prompted Wahlberg to reassure his own followers and publicly thank the pilots and emergency personnel who responded in Las Vegas.
From a Concert Celebration to a Frightening Runway Incident
Johnson’s Instagram carousel documented several moments from the weekend, beginning with the excitement surrounding New Kids on the Block’s Las Vegas performance before moving to photographs taken after the aircraft encountered trouble.
In the opening image, the actress was smiling while seated on a New Kids on the Block display. Other photographs showed her attending the concert and spending time around the group’s activities. The sequence then included images of the party walking across the airport tarmac toward the aircraft.
The later photographs revealed a starkly different scene. Images taken outside the plane showed that one of its wings had caught on a perimeter fence after the aircraft skidded off the runway.
The contrast between the concert photographs and the images of the damaged aircraft captured the unexpected nature of the experience. Johnson’s account did not dwell on the mechanics of the incident, but her description made clear that the journey had become a frightening episode for everyone aboard.
The group consisted of eight people traveling from Las Vegas to Toronto, Canada, according to HELLO!‘s report. Johnson was accompanying her friend Wahlberg, who had been in Las Vegas for a performance with his band.
At the end of the carousel, Johnson included a photograph of Wahlberg embracing members of the staff, followed by an image of a single flower. Together, the photographs offered a personal record of a weekend that moved from entertainment and celebration to an experience that left its participants relieved to be unharmed.
Wahlberg responded directly to Johnson in the comments, expressing his gratitude and affection.
“You rock Amy Jo! So thankful for you, and for my buddy Matt! So very blessed!” he wrote.
His response reflected the relief shared by the group following the incident. Neither Johnson’s post nor the quoted comments established a definitive technical explanation for what caused the aircraft to leave the runway.
Airport Officials Confirm Aircraft Made Contact With a Fence
While Johnson and Wahlberg shared their experiences on social media, information from Harry Reid International Airport provided an official account of the runway disruption.
According to the statement reproduced in HELLO!‘s coverage, the airport reported that the incident occurred at approximately 11 a.m. as a general aviation aircraft was departing.
“At approximately 11 a.m., upon departure, a general aviation aircraft skidded off runway 1L at LAS and made contact with the perimeter fence,” the statement read.
The airport also said there were no known injuries at the time of its announcement. Runways 1R and 1L were scheduled to close for inspection, with officials warning that travelers could experience delays.
The statement established the central facts of the incident: an aircraft left its intended runway path during departure, made contact with the airport’s perimeter fence and prompted a temporary operational disruption.
It did not, however, provide a final determination of the cause. The precise circumstances behind the aircraft’s failure to become airborne as intended were not established in the information published by HELLO!.
That distinction matters when interpreting the accounts shared by the passengers. Although their descriptions convey the seriousness of the experience, the passengers’ recollections and the airport’s operational statement serve different purposes. The former describe what those aboard experienced; the latter documents the reported incident and its immediate implications for airport operations.
For the eight people traveling together, the most significant outcome was that no injuries had been reported.
Donnie Wahlberg Credits the Pilots With Keeping Everyone Safe
Wahlberg also addressed the incident in a video shared on social media, explaining what happened from his perspective and reassuring friends, family members and fans.
The Blue Bloods actor said the aircraft had been attempting to take off but did not get into the air before running out of runway.
“We were taking off and didn’t get up in the air and ran out of runway,” he explained.
Wahlberg went on to express his gratitude to the pilots, crediting their actions with preventing a potentially much more serious outcome.
“I’m just going to tell you these pilots saved our lives. And God covered us,” he said.
He also described the group praying after the incident and realizing that the plane was not going to take off successfully.
“We just finished praying, and I looked out the window and said, ‘We are not getting up in the air today. But we’re safe and thankful, and all is well,’” he recalled.
His account offered further insight into the uncertainty experienced by those aboard the aircraft. The fact that the plane did not become airborne as expected was central to his recollection, while his comments emphasized the relief of reaching the end of the incident without reported injuries.
Wahlberg’s description of the pilots’ actions was his personal assessment of what happened. The information reported by HELLO! did not include an independent technical investigation establishing the cause of the runway excursion or detailing the pilots’ precise actions.
Nevertheless, his public acknowledgment made clear that he viewed the crew’s response as crucial to the group’s safety.
In the video’s accompanying caption, Wahlberg explained why he had decided to share the experience with a wider audience.
“I made this video for my friends and family after the incident, but so many of you all are my family too, so I figured I’d share with you,” he wrote.
He confirmed that he and members of his team and group of friends had been aboard the aircraft, describing the experience as intense and saying that the moments had felt much longer than they actually were.
He also thanked the emergency personnel who responded on the ground in Las Vegas.
“Thankful to God, of course, and to our incredible pilots who did an amazing job of keeping us safe and avoiding a serious disaster,” Wahlberg wrote. “The airplane did take some lumps – but we did not.”
He concluded by thanking the emergency responders, describing them as wonderful.
A Weekend Built Around New Kids on the Block
The incident occurred after Wahlberg and his bandmates had performed in Las Vegas as part of their residency at Dolby Live.
New Kids on the Block, the pop group that rose to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s, has maintained a long-standing relationship with its audience through performances, tours and later-career concert residencies. The group’s continued live appearances have allowed longtime fans to revisit its catalogue while introducing its music to newer audiences.
Wahlberg is one of the group’s best-known members, with a career that extends beyond music into television and film. His role as Detective Danny Reagan on Blue Bloods also made him familiar to viewers who may not regularly follow the band’s activities.
Johnson’s presence at the concert reflected a personal connection with Wahlberg rather than a professional collaboration identified in the report. Her photographs showed her enjoying the performance before documenting the group’s journey toward the aircraft.
The sequence is significant because it places the runway incident within an otherwise ordinary social and professional trip. The passengers had gathered around a concert and were traveling together when the unexpected event interrupted their plans.
Johnson’s description of the weekend as eventful captured that abrupt change without offering unnecessary detail about the frightening moments themselves.
Her Instagram post also allowed followers to see the incident through photographs selected by someone who had been aboard the aircraft. While the pictures showed the aftermath, they did not independently establish the cause of the runway excursion.
Amy Jo Johnson’s Career Beyond Power Rangers
Johnson’s response also drew attention to an actress whose career has spanned television, film and independent creative work.
She became widely recognized in the 1990s for playing Kimberly Hart, the original Pink Ranger, in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The role helped establish her as a familiar face among viewers who grew up with the popular television franchise.
Johnson later appeared as Julie Emrick in the college drama Felicity, demonstrating a different side of her screen career. The series, which premiered in 1998, became known for its character-driven storytelling and exploration of relationships and young adulthood.
Over the years, Johnson has also pursued work behind the camera, including writing and directing. Her career has therefore extended beyond the role that first brought her widespread recognition.
Although her latest social media post focused on the immediate experience in Las Vegas rather than her professional projects, it brought renewed attention to the actress through a personal account that resonated with followers.
The directness of her message was notable. Rather than offering a lengthy reconstruction of the event, she acknowledged that the situation had been frightening and expressed gratitude that everyone had made it through safely.
Her statement that she was “very happy to be alive” conveyed the seriousness with which she viewed the experience without suggesting that anyone aboard had been injured.
Jenny McCarthy and the Public Response to the Incident
The incident also attracted attention because Wahlberg’s wife, television personality Jenny McCarthy, was connected to the story through her husband’s experience.
HELLO! published separate coverage of McCarthy addressing the incident after the aircraft skidded off the runway. The publication also reported on Wahlberg’s account of the frightening departure, placing Johnson’s photographs and comments within the wider public response to the event.
Such updates helped provide a fuller picture of how those connected to the passengers responded after the incident. Johnson shared photographs from her weekend, Wahlberg offered reassurance to followers and expressed gratitude to the pilots, and the airport released information about the runway disruption.
These accounts should not be confused with a formal investigation into the aircraft’s operation. Social media statements can help establish what passengers remember and how they reacted, but they do not replace an official technical assessment of why an aircraft failed to take off as intended.
The available information reported by HELLO! centered on the passengers’ experiences, the airport’s statement and the fact that no injuries were reported. A definitive cause was not provided in that coverage.
Gratitude After a Frightening Experience
Johnson’s final photographs, including the image of a flower, gave her Instagram carousel a quieter ending after the images of the aircraft and the airport tarmac.
Her caption, meanwhile, remained focused on gratitude. The actress acknowledged the concert and the frightening journey in the same post, recognizing the contrast between the weekend’s enjoyable moments and the unexpected danger encountered afterward.
Wahlberg’s response carried a similar message. His comments highlighted his appreciation for the pilots and emergency personnel, while his video reassured his followers that the people aboard were safe.
The aircraft sustained damage, according to Wahlberg, but the group escaped without reported physical injuries. Airport officials’ statement also indicated that no injuries were known at the time of their announcement.
For Johnson, the experience became a reminder of how quickly a routine journey can change. Her account did not attempt to explain the technical circumstances or speculate about what might have happened under different conditions. Instead, she shared the photographs, acknowledged the frightening episode and expressed relief.
As HELLO! reported, the actress’s words reflected the central outcome of the Las Vegas incident: a weekend that began with a concert and time among friends ended with the passengers grateful to be safe.
For Johnson and Wahlberg, that was the detail that mattered most. The runway incident disrupted their plans and left the aircraft damaged, but everyone in their group was reported to have escaped unharmed.
The post Amy Jo Johnson Says She’s “Happy to Be Alive” After Donnie Wahlberg’s Las Vegas Plane Incident appeared first on Owink.
Source: Owink
