Airplane carrying 56 rescue dogs crash-lands on golf course, Wisconsin officials say

An airplane carrying precious cargo crashed on a Wisconsin golf course, officials said.

Deputies with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene shortly after 9 a.m. on Nov. 15, the office said in a news release.

There were three people and 56 rescue dogs aboard the flight, which crash-landed and came to rest on the third hole of the Western Lakes Golf Course, according to the sheriff’s office. The plane took “significant damage.”

As the plane descended, its wings were clipped off by trees and the fuselage scraped belly-first across the green, officials told WDJT. Over 300 gallons of jet fuel leaked from the wreckage and the state Department of Natural Resources was on the scene.

Despite the dangerous landing, all people and puppies survived with some sustaining minor injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

The dogs were being flown in from New Orleans, Louisiana, to shelters in Wisconsin, the Associated Press reported.

Workers with the Humane Animal Rescue Society of Waukesha headed to the golf course and took in the dogs, the organization said in a social media post asking for donations.

The animals were treated by staff veterinarians and “all are expected to be placed up for adoption as planned in the coming days,” the post said.

The crash is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.

This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 12:49 PM with the headline "Airplane carrying 56 rescue dogs crash-lands on golf course, Wisconsin officials say."