Dwayne Johnson’s Plane Makes Emergency Landing After ‘Serious Mechanical Issue’ Over Ocean

Dwayne Johnson’s recent flight experience was a bit… rocky.

Johnson, colloquially known as The Rock, had to miss opening day for the United Football League last Friday after his plane had to make an emergency landing in Hawaii.

The wrestler and actor is a co-owner of the UFL, and the season’s first game was in Houston, Texas.

“Super bummed I can’t be in Texas but so grateful we were able to land the plane safely,” the 52-year-old wrote on Twitter/X. “So sorry to our @TheUFL fans, players, coaches, staff and our teams at @FOXSports @espn I’m not there. Let’s have a great season 2 opening weekend, have fun, and ball out.”

In a nearly four-minute long video attached to the tweet, Johnson explained what happened during his scary moment abord the plane.

“Man, I was super pumped to get down there to Texas to rock and roll with all the fans, the players and the coaches,” the Southland Tales star said. “Last night we had some issues with the plane. About 35 to 40 minutes into the flight, the pilot comes back to me, he gets down on one knee, and it’s just me on the plane. Just me and crew, and he faces me and says, ‘Mr. Johnson, I’m sorry to inform you. We cannot continue to fly over the ocean. We have a problem, and we have to land back in Hawaii. You have my word that I will land you back safely on the island.”

Johnson said that there was a hydraulics issue with the plane, and the pilots didn’t want to take a risk by attempting an in-air fix while flying over the ocean. He said the incident shifted his perspective on what matters to him most.

“We’ve all experience turbulence on airplanes and some of us like me—like you guys—have experience some really f–king crazy turbulence where you’re like, ‘Holy s–t,” he said. “Drinks are flying. Luggage is flying, everything is going everywhere. And you can’t help but to think, its human nature, ‘Is this it? Is this how I check out?’”

He continued to detail the frightening experience of being on a malfunctioning plane, saying “When you’re back there alone with just your drink…you start to realize really quickly, s–t that’s really important in life.”

“And then you realize the s–t that doesn’t really matter that you’ve been thinking about and worrying about. Anyway, I had one of those moments last night…Bottom line is I’m grateful to be back on ground, grateful to be back in Hawaii.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will next be seen in The Smashing Machine, the latest film from A24 and director Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems) that features Johnson playing the real life MMA fighter Mark Kerr.