Charleston Southern flight training aircraft leaves runway at Summerville Airport

A flight training aircraft used by Charleston Southern University experienced a runway excursion at Summerville Airport on Wednesday evening, the university confirmed. The incident occurred just before 7 p.m. and involved the aircraft veering off or overrunning the runway, a situation defined by the Federal Aviation Administration as a runway excursion.

No injuries were reported from the incident, and the aircraft came to rest on airport property without breaching the perimeter fence, according to university officials. However, the aircraft did sustain significant damage during the event.

Charleston Southern University is cooperating with relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the excursion. The university has reported the situation to the National Transportation Safety Board and stated that the safety of its students, faculty, instructors, and community remains a top priority.

Summerville Airport, located about 13 miles northwest of the Charleston Southern campus, is a public-use airport owned by Dorchester County. The aircraft involved is part of the university's aeronautics flight training program, which was the first of its kind in South Carolina.