Airport Fence Smashed, Plane Hit

Police say a teen in a black Mustang crashed through an airport fence and slammed into a parked plane before being taken into custody.

Story Snapshot

State police and federal officials confirm a car struck a parked Pilatus PC-12 at Portsmouth International Airport.
The chase began after a trooper tried to stop a black 2008 Ford Mustang; the driver fled and breached the fence.
No other injuries were reported, and airport operations stayed open during the response.
Officials identified the suspect as a 17-year-old from Rochester and listed impaired driving among the charges.

Police Account of the Pursuit and Airfield Breach

New Hampshire State Police said a trooper tried to stop a black 2008 Ford Mustang on Saturday night. The driver fled without headlights and crashed through the perimeter fence at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease. The car entered an airfield area and hit property on the ramp. State police posted an alert that night describing the stop attempt, the flight, and the fence breach, and said the suspect was later taken into custody.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said a vehicle struck a parked Pilatus PC-12 at the airport on Saturday and directed further questions to local officials. That federal statement confirms the core aviation detail and frames the event as a ground collision with a stationary aircraft. Some local reports add that the car hit a tractor before the plane, but the FAA note does not list the tractor. That detail appears in select local coverage rather than federal text.

Damage, Injuries, and Airport Operations

Airport manager John Meehan said the single‑engine aircraft suffered extensive damage. He also said the airport stayed open throughout the incident with no impact on flights. Local outlets echoed that account. Police and news reports said no one else was injured, and that the damaged aircraft was unoccupied at the time of the strike. Those facts kept the emergency focused on property damage and security response, not mass casualty care.

Multiple outlets reported that troopers took the driver into custody and brought him to a hospital for evaluation. Reporters later named the suspect as Wyatt Seely, 17, of Rochester, New Hampshire, citing police. Listed charges include aggravated driving while intoxicated and reckless driving. Coverage describes impairment findings, but the available summaries do not include test numbers or affidavit details that would show how officers measured intoxication at the scene or later.

What We Know About Timing and Sequence

Newsrooms placed the chase and breach shortly after 8 p.m. based on state police timing. The FAA’s same‑day statement listed “around 4 p.m. local time” for the vehicle‑versus‑aircraft strike, creating a timing gap across official and federal notes. Local dispatch logs and the arrest affidavit would pin down the minute‑by‑minute sequence. For now, authorities are aligned on the key facts: a police stop attempt, a fence breach, and a collision with a parked Pilatus PC‑12.

Officials have not released the full pursuit narrative, including why the initial stop was attempted and how many agencies joined in. One report says the car was tied to other local crimes, but the primary documents are not yet published in full. Those records, along with airport incident logs and security video, would confirm the tractor claim, the exact path on the ramp, and a complete timeline. Until then, the core event remains clear and undisputed in agency statements.

Why This Matters Beyond One Scary Night

This crash highlights a known weak point at airports: perimeter breaches that let people or vehicles reach airside space. National reviews show these events are uncommon but recurring. They sit alongside other ground risks like vehicle‑aircraft collisions during towing or pushback. Safety teams study them because one bad breach at the wrong time can threaten many lives. That is why even a single car hitting a parked plane draws federal and local attention.