A Wheels Up plane. Photo: Shutterstock An unusual incident occurred last Friday, November 6, at Charleston Executive Airport in South Carolina, when an executive plane belonging to the company Wheels Up reported hitting an alligator during takeoff and was forced to land at an alternate airport.
The plane, which was Flight 665, was an Embraer Phenom 300, an executive jet designed for private flights. The plane was en route to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, which serves primarily private jets and business aviation in the New York area.
According to the report, during takeoff, the crew noticed an incident involving an alligator, and as a result decided not to continue the flight to its original destination. At approximately 8:50 p.m. local time, the plane landed safely in Charleston.
No further details have been released about the extent of possible damage to the plane, the crocodile's condition, or the circumstances of the encounter. No information has been released about any injuries.
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it will investigate the incident. The investigation is expected to examine the circumstances of the crash and the possible implications for the aircraft's safety and its fitness to continue flying.
Incidents of harming animals at airports are well known in the aviation world, especially involving birds, but an encounter with a crocodile during takeoff is particularly unusual, highlighting the risks posed by the natural environment near takeoff and landing runways.