- A 17-year-old driver crashed through Portsmouth Airport fence during police pursuit
- The Mustang struck a ground-support tractor and a parked Pilatus PC-12 aircraft
- No injuries reported but the aircraft suffered severe wing and landing gear damage
A 17-year-old driver allegedly fleeing police in a Ford Mustang crashed through the perimeter fence of Portsmouth International Airport in New Hampshire before striking a ground-support tractor and a parked Pilatus PC-12 aircraft. The incident caused extensive damage to both the car and aircraft, though authorities said no one else was injured.
Mustang Enters Airport During Police Pursuit
As per the local police, the incident began when a trooper spotted a black 2008 Ford Mustang believed to be connected to incidents reported by other law-enforcement jurisdictions.
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Police said the trooper attempted to stop the vehicle. Rather than pull over, the driver allegedly fled, reportedly without using the Mustang's headlights. The vehicle then entered Portsmouth International Airport by breaching a perimeter chain-link fence.
Once on airport property, the Mustang crossed the aircraft parking apron. It first struck a ground-support tractor before colliding with a parked Pilatus PC-12 turboprop aircraft operated by PlaneSense. The car came to a stop after the second collision.
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Video and photographs from the scene show severe front-end damage to the Mustang. Police took the driver into custody shortly afterwards and transported him to hospital for evaluation.
Damaged Plane
PlaneSense confirmed that the Pilatus PC-12 was parked at its Portsmouth headquarters and was awaiting routine maintenance when it was hit. The operator said no employees were hurt and its flight operations were not affected.
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The aircraft suffered extensive visible damage. Reports and images indicate that its left wing was severed, while the landing gear was also damaged. A fuel leak was reported after the impact, adding another safety issue for responding personnel at the airfield.
The PC-12 is a single-engine turboprop aircraft widely used for business aviation and regional passenger operations. Even older examples can represent substantial assets, so repairs involving a wing and landing gear are likely to be costly. The exact financial impact has not been publicly disclosed.
Airport officials said the airfield remained open and operations were not affected. However, the breach has also brought attention to perimeter security at general-aviation facilities, where parked aircraft and ground equipment can be exposed if a fence is breached.
Charges Against Driver
Police identified the driver as a 17-year-old from New Hampshire. He faces misdemeanor charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated, disobeying a police officer, and conduct after an accident. He also faces a violation-level reckless-driving charge.