The Steelers’ charter plane home that departed Las Vegas following the team’s 23-18 victory over the Raiders made an emergency landing in Kansas City. It safely landed at the airport, and crews are now there to inspect the plane.
According to the report, the issue is an oil pressure failure in one of the plane’s engines. Everyone remains onboard the plane and is safe while the plane continues to be looked at by the fire trucks on the scene. The plane’s diversion will keep the Steelers from returning to the facility until later than expected. Pittsburgh landed at the airport around 5:00 a.m. Steelers DE Cam Heyward even took some time to Tweet about it. The Steelers’ Senior Director of Communications Burt Lauten addressed the situation, saying the team is safe and will arrive in Pittsburgh later on Monday.
Our team charter plane was unexpectedly diverted to Kansas City early this morning on our way back to Pittsburgh following our game in Las Vegas. Everyone on the plane is safe, and we are making necessary plans to arrive back in Pittsburgh later today.
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) September 25, 2023
Emergency landings for sports teams are not common, but they can happen. Last year, the Bengals were forced to have an emergency landing at JFK Airport in New York following their win over the New England Patriots due to an engine failure that forced the team to switch planes.
In 2021, the Utah Jazz of the NBA experienced a similar situation. So, while not extremely common, it does happen from time to time. Luckily, everyone remains safe, and crews are now inspecting the problem on the scene. The Steelers are set to have Monday off after the win.