The Pittsburgh Steelers experienced an unexpected detour on their return journey from Las Vegas early Monday morning. The team’s charter plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas City due to mechanical issues. However, no injuries were reported, according to a team official.
The Steelers’ senior director of communications, Burt Lauten, confirmed the incident. He stated that the team’s charter plane was unexpectedly diverted to Kansas City while en route to Pittsburgh following their game in Las Vegas. He assured that everyone on board was safe and that arrangements were being made for the team to return to Pittsburgh later in the day.
The team’s Airbus A330-900 charter plane landed in Kansas City after 5 a.m. ET due to an oil pressure failure in one of the engines, as reported by KDKA in Pittsburgh. The plane, which had taken off around 11:30 p.m. PT, was initially expected to land in Pittsburgh around 5:30 a.m. ET.
Upon landing, the plane, carrying 182 individuals, was met by fire trucks at the scene. A replacement plane was scheduled to pick up the Steelers around 10 a.m. ET. At the time of the report, the team was still inside the original plane.
In a lighter vein, Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward took to social media to joke about the situation. He posted a message to pop star Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, asking for a ride to Pittsburgh. Heyward’s post was a playful nod to Swift’s recent appearance at a Chiefs game to support Kelce, who is rumored to be her boyfriend.
When no help seemed forthcoming from Swift or Kelce, Heyward reached out to another celebrity. He asked rapper Snoop Dogg, referencing his role in the film “Soul Plane,” to come pick them up.
Heyward also shared a theory about the emergency landing, humorously blaming it on a controversial “roughing the passer” call on teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick during their recent game. Fitzpatrick has been under scrutiny for his season-ending hit on Browns star running back Nick Chubb.