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The Sports Network
Key West, FL (Sports Network) - NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick sustained a
broken rib and a broken collarbone after a private jet carrying him
experienced braking issues and ran off the runway while attempting to land at
Key West International Airport on Monday night.
Hendrick Motorsports said in a news release that Hendrick, his wife, Linda,
and the two pilots on board the Gulfstream G150 aircraft were treated and
released from Lower Keys Medical Center early Tuesday morning. Linda suffered
minor cuts and bruises, both pilots did not sustain any injuries, and all four
have returned to North Carolina.
The aircraft is co-owned by Hendrick and five-time defending Sprint Cup Series
champion Jimmie Johnson, who drives for HMS. The incident, which occurred
approximately 7:45 p.m. local time, is being investigated by the National
Transportation Safety Board.
According to the Miami Herald, the plane skidded completely off the 4,800-foot
runway and came to a stop along a 600-foot unpaved safety area that had just
been added at the airport in May. Peter Horton, director of the airport, said
the pilot and co-pilot radioed to the tower that they had no brakes.
"If this area hadn't been added the outcome would have been different and
probably catastrophic," Horton told the newspaper. "Before we had only 100
feet of overrun and then they would have gone into a salt pond and hit an
embankment."
The accident occurred seven years after a plane owned by Hendrick crashed
while en route to a race held at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. All 10
people onboard were killed, including Hendrick's son, brother and two nieces.
The Sports Network