A private jet slid off a runway and struck a perimeter fence during a planned takeoff at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Sunday, October 18, 2026. Airport spokesperson Monika Bertaki confirmed that no injuries were reported following the incident, which occurred at approximately 11 a.m. local time.
The aircraft, identified as a Dassault Falcon 50, was scheduled to depart for Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. According to airport officials, the plane was attempting to take off from runway 1L when it skid off the tarmac and made contact with the boundary fence. The specific cause of the excursion has not yet been disclosed by authorities.
In response to the event, officials closed runways 1L and 1R for safety inspections. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the government agency responsible for civil aviation oversight, briefly implemented a ground stop for planned flights arriving at the facility. Normal operations resumed after the FAA lifted the measure by Sunday evening.
For the travelers affected by the 360 delayed flights, the primary impact was a wait time of at least 60 minutes during the Sunday afternoon travel period. These passengers would have noticed changes in their scheduled arrival and departure times until the FAA lifted the flight restrictions Sunday evening. The disruption also required the diversion of airport resources toward safety inspections on the affected runways to ensure the infrastructure remained safe for subsequent commercial and private use.
The knock-on effects of the ground stop reached beyond the immediate vicinity of Las Vegas, as a halt in flights to a major hub like Harry Reid International can impact scheduling at other domestic and international airports. While the ground stop was lifted by the end of the day, the investigation into the mechanical or environmental factors that caused the Dassault Falcon 50 to skid remains ongoing. No specific date has been provided for the release of a final investigative report, and airport officials stated they will provide updates as more information becomes available.